by Paige Fowler

 

 

There’s a long list of things you already know you should never mix with alcohol: Driving, tweeting, calling your ex, and singing karaoke easily top that list. But there are certain activities you may not know can cause risky or even deadly effects when you’ve been boozing.

 

Abide by these eight drinking “don’ts,” so that the only damage control you need to do the next day is nurse your hangover with a plate of huevos rancheros.

1. Take a painkiller.

Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol and more than 600 over-the-counter and prescription medications, can cause liver damage—and so can alcohol. So when you combine the two, it increases their toxicity and creates even more harm. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and naproxen aren’t any better. They’re associated with an increased risk of ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding, and taking them when there’s alcohol in your system may exacerbate the risks. If you pop one of these pills, don’t drink—and definitely don’t try them at the end of the night in an attempt to prevent a hangover. Not only is it ineffective, but you’ll increase the risk of damaging your organs.

2. Drive a boat.

Booze is to blame for about 39 percent of all boating fatalities, according to the United States Coast Guard. “Boating while intoxicated has all of the same risks as driving, and the surface beneath you is constantly shifting,” says Aaron White, Ph.D., Program Director of College and Underage Drinking Prevention Research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. So in addition to trying to coordinate all of the skills needed to navigate, you’re also struggling to maintain your balance. Plus, there’s no seatbelt—and you’re probably not wearing a life vest. Save the lake trip for later.

3. Gamble.

“There’s a reason casinos like to give you free drinks,” White says. Alcohol impairs your judgment and impulse control, which makes you more likely to bet—and bet big. “Unless you’re made of money, do your gambling while sober,” he adds.

4. Soak in a hot tub.

Despite what rappers may have you believe, drinking and hot-tubbing isn’t as sexy as it seems. “Alcohol makes it more difficult for your body to regulate its temperature, so when the ambient temperature is really hot, your body overheats more easily,” White says. Heat and alcohol are both extremely dehydrating, which means you’re less likely to notice early signs of dehydration such as headache, thirst, or dizziness. You could quickly transition from minor to severe dehydration, leading to vomiting, fainting, seizures, difficulty breathing, and possibly death.

5. Go for a swim.

Alcohol use is involved in up to 70 percent of deaths associated with water sports, and almost a quarter of all emergency-room visits are from drowning incidents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Booze affects your balance, coordination, and judgment—basically all the skills you need to keep yourself afloat.

6. Take shots.

Buying a round of Jagerbombs sounds like a brilliant idea when you’re wasted. In reality, “when you’re intoxicated, you run the risk of raising your blood alcohol content too high too quickly, causing a blackout or true overdose,” White says. “When you’re already drunk, it isn’t the time to escalate your drinking—it’s time to slow down.” Order a round of water and some grub instead.

7. Swallow a sleeping pill.

Combining alcohol and a sleep aid like Ambien is a recipe for amnesia and a deadly OD. Booze and snooze-inducing drugs overlap in how they affect the brain, especially in areas associated with sleepiness and memory, so the effects may be magnified, White says. You may have heard of people doing bizarre and dangerous activities while on Ambien including sleepwalking, sleep cooking, and sleep eating without any recollection of their shenanigans. According to the Food and Drug Administration, there’s a greater chance these events may occur when you mix alcohol with Ambien. “Skip your sleep medication on days that you drink,” says White.

8. Have a heart-to-heart.

In vino veritas, right? Wrong. “Many people believe that alcohol makes you more honest about your feelings, but the reality is that it just makes it harder for you to keep your drunk feelings to yourself,” White says. The lack of impulse control you experience when you’re tanked could cause you to say something you don’t truly mean, hurt someone’s feelings, get into an argument or fight, or commit to something you don’t actually want. Wait until the morning to discuss important matters.

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.