Summer is right around the corner, although, that means something different depending on where you are. Maybe you’re still wearing your winter coat, maybe it’s already blazing, maybe you’ll be working the same job you did the rest of year, or maybe it’s time for a break. Everyone’s summer is different.
Summer means weddings, BBQs, pool parties, and staying out for a lot longer than you should. We might drink more during winter holidays with all the parties, but you never get day drunk like you do in summer.
Day drinking requires a different skill set than night drinking. The latter requires you to get to inebriation decently quickly, all while not racking up too high of a bar tab. Successful day drinking requires a level of self-awareness since you can’t just sleep away the spins.
So, how do you gracefully glide through a Sunday pool party with a mix of your best friends, your grandparents, and some suspiciously potent margaritas? Well…
Figure Out “Your” Drink
I’m not gonna start out with warnings of pacing yourself. You already know that you should — after all, your boyfriend’s mom is going to show up to this one, but you’re friends are already talking you into just one more drink. That’s your own battle, and I hope you fight it bravely.
No, if you get anything else from this article, it should be to figure out which drink is yours. It’s got to be something you can drink casually throughout the day, doesn’t have too horrendously high of an alcohol content, and doesn’t mess with your stomach. If you’re a beer or wine person, check out this chart to match up some booze with your personality. Otherwise, stick with some easy summer cocktails.
Having a personal drink has two distinct advantages: you’ll know how it affects you and your tolerance, so you can better calculate whether that next drink really is such a good idea or not— and you’ll probably have to bring it to the party, making you the always-popular, always-invited guest. No one likes a mooch.
Be Aware of the Heat
The second most important tip is to realize that the heat of summer is working against your tolerance. Hot tubs, the sun, physical activity… all of these things cause us to sweat, which leads to dehydration, which makes you drunker faster.
Take that into consideration whenever you’re planning some day drinking. You might be able to handle 3 drinks in an hour when you’re hanging at a bar with your friends, but do the same in a hot tub and you’ll feel it a lot more.
Get a Ride Home
So here’s the deal: even though we drink more in the winter, we’re more likely to drive drunk in the summer. That’s because we’ve been out all day, we’ve been drinking all day, and a lot of people figure that they’ve gotta be fine to drive by now, right?
Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Alcohol stays in your body for a while after you drink it; it takes about an hour for one drink to clear your system. Do the math (if you can) next time you’re considering driving home. Or use this handy dandy calculator. To be safe, if you even have to question it, just get another ride home or you could be putting a pause on day drinking for a while.
Day drinking is a sacred rite of passage into summer, but not everyone is fully equipped to take advantage of it. All the same, follow these tips and try your hardest. With practice, you can soar with the eagles… or crawl with us on the way to next pool party, whichever suits your fancy.
Featured image via Molly Mandarich Unsplash
