Summer drinking without the hangover

Don't want to get pissed, but find soft drinks boring? Check out these tasty alternatives to necking cider on the beach!

It’s easy to feel miserable on a night out if all your friends are drinking pints and you’re sipping a mineral water. So, get creative and whisk up these tasty non-alcoholic cocktails for yourself AND your mates.

Choosing non alcoholic drinks means you will still have something tasty to drink, but will avoid a nasty hangover or the risks of drinking unhealthy amounts of alcohol. If you’re going to a party or dinner where alcohol is on offer and you’re trying not to drink too much, bring along a non-alcoholic bottle of drink instead of the usual beer or wine. That way, you’ll have a guarantee there will be more than just tap water on offer!

Even if you are drinking alcohol on a night out, drink lots of water or a non-alcoholic drink in between alcoholic choices. Before you go to bed, drink as much water as you can. It will stop you getting too dehydrated (that’s what causes the hangover headache).

Watch out for high sugar levels in cocktails though! Also, avoid drinking too many sugary drinks such as coke, lemonade, sugary juices or coffee/tea with lots of added sugar. If you’re making your own cocktails, add as little sugar as possible. Sugary drinks rot your teeth, up your daily calorie intake and mess with blood sugar levels. For general health, it is best to keep sugar intake as low as possible really.

 

Some great alcohol free drinks:

Virgin Mary
Alcohol free punch
Safe sex on the beach

 

Why choose non-alcoholic drinks?

• Drinking a lot can lead to feelings of sadness. Many people who are alcohol dependant suffer from depression and heavy drinkers have a much higher risk of suicide or attempted suicide than others.
• Binge drinking, when you have 5 or more drinks at one time, is a serious problem in Ireland. Research shows that people who begin binge drinking at 13 and continue as teenagers, are almost 4 times more likely to be overweight by 24 than people who don’t drink heavily. 
• If you drink a lot you can suffer from alcohol poisoning. This is when there’s too much alcohol in your body for you to deal with. You might pass out, lose control or need to be taken to hospital. 
• Hangovers aren’t just there to make life miserable. They’re your body’s way of trying to get rid of all the crap you drank the night before. So headaches, sick stomachs and depression are just some of the possible hangover symptoms. We’ll not go into what happens when you visit the toilet.
• Alcohol is full of calories. It makes us fat and gives us those ohhhhh so sexy beer bellies.
• In the long term (this goes for most of us who regularly drink more than the recommended amounts) alcohol can damage your brain, heart, stomach, reproductive organs and nerves. 
• Regularly drinking too much can lead to dependency or addiction. Alcoholism is terrible for your health and can also ruin relationships, families, your finances and your enjoyment of life. Don’t let alcohol control you. 
• Check out this factsheet on standard drinks and how to keep alcohol intake at healthy levels.

If you are worried about alcohol and your health, check out the help section for supportive information and links to support organisations.

 

 

 

 

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