Keeping your alcohol intake in moderation can help you to avoid health risks that come with social drinking during the summer months.
While summer is all about relaxation, outdoor fun and social events, social drinking during the hot weather can pose serious health risks, making it important to stay healthy while enjoying the season.
- Increased risk of dehydration.
Although you may feel more refreshed and hydrated while sipping a frozen margarita or an ice-cold beer, alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it increases urine production and can lead to fluid loss. When you become dehydrated, your heart may beat faster or you may feel dizzy and faint. Being dehydrated makes it harder for your body to sweat, which normally helps us to cool ourselves. Dehydration combined with the summer heat can result in dizziness and heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
- Increased risk of accidents.
Summer in Canada is all about spending weekends at the cottage and days by the lake to keep cool. A study reported that 31% of drowning incidents involved a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of greater than 0.10%. That is 3 standard drinks for an average 140-pound male or 2-3 standard drinks for an average 140-pound female within a 2-hour period. Alcohol consumption impairs judgement and increases risk-taking behaviors, seen as the cause of 40% of all boating incidents in Canada.
- Increased risk of sunburns.
Getting out to enjoy the sun is important for your mood as well as to help your skin make vitamin D. To stay safe this summer, remember to apply broad-spectrum sunscreen rated at SPF 30 at least every two hours, limit sun exposure during peak UV hours (11am to 3pm), and be mindful of alcohol consumption, as it can increase the risk of sunburns and dehydration. A study looking at national survey data and sunburns in the US found that 21.5% of individuals who reported being sunburned had consumed alcohol at the time.
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