HMN 2025: How risky to Get Over a Hangover, Even After the Alcohol Has Left Your System

It’s the day after a big night out and you’re feeling the effects of too much alcohol.

So it can be tempting to “cool off” and ease a hangover by swimming at the beach or diving into the cool waters of your local river or pool.

But you might want to think twice.

The aftermath of binge drinking can affect your body, energy level, and perception of risk in several ways. This means you are more likely to drown or make rash decisions, even without a high blood alcohol level.

Alcohol + water + summer = drowning

Alcohol is one of the main reasons why someone more likely die by drowning. And Australians consume a lotincluding around the water.

The risk of drowning and injuries, including alcohol-related incidents, increases significantly during the summer holiday period, particularly the public holidays And long weekends.

Among people aged 18 and over who drowned in rivers where alcohol was involved, we found some 40% had a blood alcohol level of at least 0.20%. This is four times the legal upper limit of 0.05% when driving a car with a full license.

When we breathalyzer In four Australian rivers, we found higher blood alcohol levels with higher temperatures, and particularly on public holidays.

At the beach, intoxication due to alcohol and/or drugs is the cause 23% of deaths by drowning with an average blood alcohol content of 0.19%.

What if you have a hangover?

Eliminating alcohol from your body is a relatively slow process. On average, alcohol is metabolized at a rate of 0.015% per hour. So if someone stops drinking at 2 a.m. with a blood alcohol level of 0.20%, their alcohol level does not drop to zero until 4 p.m. the next day.

Although hangovers can vary from person to person, typical symptoms include headache, muscle pain, fatigue, weakness, thirst, nausea, stomach pain, dizziness, irritability, sensitivity to light and sound, anxiety, sweating and increased blood pressure.

In addition to feeling a little dusty, the day after a drunken night, you’re not very good at identify and respond to risks.

In a swimming pool, this might mean not noticing that it is too shallow to dive safely. In natural waterways, this may mean not noticing a strong river current or rip current on the beach. Or someone might notice these dangers but swim or dive anyway.

In one studywe found that after four days of an Australian music festival where people were drinking heavily, even sober people (no alcohol in their blood) were still affected.

Compared to baseline lab tests three weeks before the festival, people who were sober the day after the festival had faster reaction times on a test to assess their attentiveness. But they made more mistakes. This suggests that hangovers combined with fatigue lead to faster but more reckless behavior.

In and around water, it could mean the difference between life and death.

Positive blood alcohol levels, including those from the previous day, are commonly implicated in drowning deaths due to risky behaviors such as jumping into the water, both at a river and along the side. Jumping can cause physical injury or render you unconscious, leading to drowning.

Alcohol, even the day after consumption, can also increase the risk of drowning. for a number of other reasons. It also reduces people’s coordination and reaction times.

What else is going on?

Alcohol causes the blood vessels near your skin to open (dilate). This causes more blood to flow there, making you feel warmer. This means you may stay in colder water longer, increasing your risk of hypothermia.

Alcohol can even cause CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) less effectiveif you need to be resuscitated.

Normally, your body controls the levels of certain minerals (or electrolytes) in the blood. But electrolyte imbalance is common after heavy alcohol consumption, including the next day. This is why hangover symptoms, such as muscle pain, can lead to arm or leg cramps. This can become dangerous when you are in or on the water.

Low blood sugar the day after drinking alcohol is also common. This can cause people to become exhausted more quickly when engaging in physical activities, including swimming.

Other dangers include cold water, high waves and deep water, which your body may not be able to cope with if you’re feeling the effects of a heavy night.

What can we do about this?

The authorities regularly warn of dangers alcohol intoxication and being near water. Young people and men are often targeted because they are the groups most likely to drown where alcohol is the cause.

Beaches may have alcohol-free zones. Rivers rarely have the same rules, despite similar dangers.

How to Stay Safe Around Water If You Drink

So be careful this summer and stay out of the water if you’re not feeling well:

• do your swimming before drinking
• watch out for your friends, especially those who may have had a few too many or are hungover
• Avoid going back into the water after drinking alcohol or if you don’t feel well the next day.

This article is republished from The conversation under Creative Commons license. Read the original article.