Everyone, hopefully, knows not to drive while under the influence of alcohol. This is because drinking can slow your reflexes, impair your judgment and affect your motor skills. Drinking and swimming work the same way! In fact, these are also the very same reasons you shouldn’t drink while swimming or while supervising others who are in the water. At Pool Fence DIY, it is our goal to help you be safer near the water.

In today’s blog, we’ll go over some ways to stay out of danger when it comes to alcohol and bodies of water.

Drinking and Swimming Don’t Mix

Drinking while swimming is never a good mix. When alcohol is in your system, it may result in poor decision-making. If this is the case, you may pass out and slip under the water, dive into water that is shallower than you realize, or misjudge the strength of a current. In these situations, you can put yourself in real danger. Avoid potential tragedy by separating alcohol and the pool.

Swimming isn’t the only way that alcohol and pools don’t make a good set.  Watching other swimmers is just as important.  We’ve talked about active supervision on this blog many times before.  It is important, when children are in the pool, for an attentive adult to be actively watching them. When a child is in danger, an active supervisor will likely be able to prevent tragedy.  If this supervisor is drinking, however, they may be distracted or too incapacitated to provide efficient help to the child in need.

Pools Aren’t the Only Water Danger Area

As discussed earlier, pools aren’t the only body of water that you should be careful around.  Danger can present itself in a lake, hot tub or bathtub as well.  For instance, operating a kayak, canoe or boat while drinking can be the precursor for tragedy.  Once you are in the middle of the lake, trouble can present itself in a number of ways.  If the weather requires you to quickly make your way back to land, or you fall into the waves, it may be more difficult to get yourself to safety. Remember, your coordination and depth perception will be negatively affected when you drink.

In addition, despite what movies may have you believe, drinking a glass of wine while taking a relaxing bath isn’t the best idea. While it may sound nice, you can fall asleep if you’re too relaxed.  This can easily present a drowning hazard.  To add to this point, drinking while you are relaxing in a hot tub is even more of a danger. This is due to the increased temperatures of the water, which are more likely to lull you to sleep.

Contrary to the toasty warm waters of the hot tub, drinking in cold waters such as the ocean can cause its own set of risky circumstances.  Alcohol can prevent your body’s natural ability to protect vital organs from the cold temperatures of the water.  Usually, blood would be diverted from your limbs to your organs in order to preserve heat. If alcohol blocks this from happening, the result can be hypothermia.

Swimming and being on the water can be great fun. However, when drinking and alcohol are combined, any number of accidents can occur. As you can see, there are a multitude of reasons to avoid drinking and swimming. Your safety depends on it, and so does the safety of your children. Keep yourself and your children safe by avoiding this potentially deadly combination.