Alcohol At Festivals

Don't be a mug, know your limits

01 January 2008

The do’s and don’ts:

- Give yourself some time to acclimatise/wake up before launching into a day's drinking
- Have a substantial meal, or drink some milk to line your stomach, before embarking on a binge.
- Take drink breaks, especially if you’re in the sun all day, to avoid overheating and dehydration.
- Ideally have a pint of water between every drink.
- Avoid getting so drunk that you lose control, get lost or are taken advantage of. You may feel invincible when drunk, but you're actually at your most vulnerable.
- If you feel like you’re too drunk, eat something and have a soft drink or coffee to sober up a little.
- If you’re driving home, remember it takes one hour to for one unit of alcohol to leave your system (one unit = half a pint or a small glass of wine). Make sure you leave loads of time for your body to recover and remember you can still be over the limit the morning after a heavy session.

Saving cash:

- Take your own booze if the festival allows it, then you can have your drink of choice without London club prices.
- Decanter all drink into plastic bottles as most festivals won’t allow glass.
- If you drive to a festival hide a spare case of booze in your car so if you run out in the first few days you have back-up supplies.
- Keeping your beer in the shade will prevented the sun heating it up and thieves stealing it.

Hangover remedies:

- Prevention is better then a cure: drink a pint of water between drinks.
- Drink plenty of water before bed and take a couple of paracetamol before sleeping.
- A good English fry-up is a winner. All that fat will turn into energy to see you through the day.
- Salty foods like crisps can replace some of the salt you lose while drinking.
- Rehydrate by drinking loads of water and energy drinks to perk you up.
- Caffeine is only a temporary cure as it will dehydrate you in the long-run.
- Vitamin C and orange juice are like medicine after a heavy session.
- Have a banana – a great source of energy and vitamins.
(NOTE: These cures do not get rid of the alcohol in your body and you should not use them as an excuse to drive. Make sure you are SOBER and FIT TO DRIVE when leaving any festival).

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