It saddens me to see all this news about lost lives at shows and festivals, and not to mention the rude and disrespectful comments left on the articles written to cover such tragedies. It only shows how many of us lack the knowledge and respect needed to enjoy ourselves, especially while under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. When it comes to helping yourself, or others, enjoy your public music experience, there are a lot of safety precautions to keep in mind to keep yourself, or others, from losing yourself in more ways than one.
Water is your best friend, but so is moderation.
When you’re dancing for hours in the sun, in the heat, in a sweat locker, it’s important to keep yourself hydrated throughout the night. By staying hydrated, we’re talking about taking small sips of water within 15 minute intervals. When under the influence of certain drugs and or alcohol, it’s easy to forget and suddenly become overwhelmed and chug up to a gallon of water at a time. For some of you that might not know, overhydration is a thing, also known as water intoxication. One of the main concerns for over hydration is throwing off your sodium balance, which causes serious, if not fatal, complications. Thanks to an article by Jennifer Walters on Shape.com, we learn that over hydrating causes a condition called hyponatremia,
in which the level of sodium — an electrolyte that helps regulate water levels in the fluid in and around your cells — in your blood is abnormally low. When this happens, your body’s water levels rise, and your cells begin to swell.
The most common signs of overhydration are behavior changes, such as drowsiness, confusion, delirium, or even screaming. Other symptoms range from blurred vision, poor coordination, nausea and vomiting, and or rapid breathing. It’s important to recognize these signs, especially with yourself, and keep an eye out for everyone else, friends or not.
Remember that it’s safe to drink about 4 cups of water every hour (1 cup is the equivalent to 8 ounces), and roughly 13 cups for men, and about 9 cups for women, per day, thanks to information provided by the Institute of Medicine.
Sometimes, you will be the babysitter.
Sure when we go out to party, we expect many different situations to occur, and a lot of the time it doesn’t include being stuck as the DD or the babysitter. But taking a couple seconds out of your time to help someone that looks lost or in need of help may prevent something as serious as death. Even back in middle school we learned the common courtesy to roll someone off of their back to prevent potentially choking on their own vomit. So what is so wrong with taking two seconds out of your time partying or walking from stage to stage to help a stranger or even yourself. It’s easy to get wrapped up in all the craziness you are surrounded by but your life, as well as others, is a little bit more important. It will pay off in the end, I promise.
Education and information will always be there.
There are many of you that have already been there and done that, and many of you that simply don’t want to learn. That’s fine, no one is going to shove information down your throat, you are free to do as you please. But remember that there are so many resources for you, your friends, and or your family to utilize to stay educated and safe. There’s no harm in knowing just a little bit more than you might already, and one day, potentially using that information to help yourself, or even better, someone else. There’s so much I would love to say here, and so much of my personal thoughts I’d love to share. Most importantly, I would just like to remind you all to be safe, be kind, and take care of yourselves and those around you. I am happy to have met you, and I will be happy to meet many of you.
