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3-IN-1 SAFETY DEVICE
This gadget is a smoke detector, a distress alarm and a powerful LED torch
Find out more >>
Alcohol and safety They say an important part of your gap year is learning about different cultures. Well, the ‘backpacker culture’ is probably one of the first you’ll encounter. You’re about to discover that values are very different here. Status is measured not by A-Level results or trendiness of attire, but by how much you can drink in the shortest possible time. The local sport is that of crawling back to your hostel taking the wiggliest route possible. Let’s face it: alcohol is an enjoyable part of many a gap year. Just take a few precautions and you can enjoy the local tipple without detrimentally affecting your health or dignity... Alcohologists (I invented that word - good eh?) recommend that women can drink up to two or three units of alcohol a day without significant risk to their health. One shot of a spirit contains around one unit, while a pint of beer, a glass of wine or a bottle of alcopop contains two. Clearly there will be nights when you disobey these venerable experts, but if you keep these to a minimum, you’re on the right track. Here are some more deeply enlightening facts about alcohol, travel and you: - You’ll get drunk quicker on top of a mountain - altitude increases the effect of alcohol. - Alcohol triples its effect when you’re flying in a plane. - Take care when drinking in the sun: alcohol gets you dehydrated quicker; dehydration gets you drunk quicker. - Booze and adventure-activities don’t mix. Alcohol is a factor in a third of traffic accidents, 69% of boat-related drownings and 41% of deaths from falling.  Another danger related to drinking is that of 'date rape'. In a small but increasing number of cases, rapists are using drugs such as GHB and Rohypnol, dissolved in alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks, to overpower victims and sexually assault them. Here are some ways to protect yourself: - If someone offers to buy you a drink, either say no, or stand beside them as they order the drink and don’t let it out of your sight. Keep it in your hand for that trendy bar-fly look. Take it with you when you go to the loo. - Try to drink out of bottles or cans; they are harder targets for the quick slip. - Best of all, get your drink in an unopened container and open it yourself. The best way to avoid all sorts of drink-related trouble (apart from taking a vow of temperance, and even that’s no guarantee) is to keep an eye on your friends. This means if your mate’s sloshed, stop drinking. This may seem a lot to ask, especially if you only met her yesterday on the bus, but remember sisterhood and all that...  Click here >> for more travel health advice More safety advice Click here >> for advice on meeting local people Click here >> for advice on staying safe in the sun Click here >> for advice on staying safe on public transport Click here >> for advice on self-defence Click here >> for advice on what to do if attacked overseas |
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