A Dozen Steps

The Hot Sun And Alcohol

by Mark on June 8th, 2006

Since b5 Media’s Science and Health Channel’s Theme Day is focusing on the sun, I find myself considering just how the heck will I write something related to the 12 Steps and the sun?

Well, I suppose I could talk about powerlessness - the sun’s gonna rise and set today and there isn’t a darn thing I can do about it :-)

Or, perhaps I could address those who would attempt to help a drunk this summer - a drunk who hasn’t considered or paid attention to the fact that consuming alcohol in the sun can kill you faster.

Heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and hypertension are all worsened by the effects of alcohol. Now, I’d love to get through to you, the alcoholic, but I know hundreds or thousands of you will do it anyway, drink in the sun at the beach, at barbeques, at sporting events this summer. Some of you will even be taking medications. (I drank around my blood pressure meds.)

Rather, for those who are there when you perpetrate these actions upon yourselves, please be aware that alcohol will raise your blood pressure to extreme heights when you drink in the hot sun. Notice any swelling in the face or fingertips. Get this person help, please. If you can, remove the alcohol from the scene because as it’s consumed it will get worse!

Drinking alcohol while in the hot sun greatly speeds up the effects of alcohol, especially dehydration. Dehydration can cause heat exhaustion or heat stroke, leading to a coma or hallucinations or death.

Hmmm - I remember when we were teens. It was cool to go to the beach, get ocified, pass out for hours and come home with a third degree sunburn. I’m here to tell you, NO, it wasn’t cool! It darn well hurt and some people I knew wound up with scars or worse, skin cancer.

Please, do yourselves a favor, don’t mix alcohol and the hot sun this summer… better yet, find a beach meeting like the one at Jones Beach, LI, NY at West End 2 on Sun mornings. Get there early before you have to pay for parking, watch the sunrise, it’s wonderful! And Liz B. will be celebrating her 53rd on the second weekend of July (if I’m wrong please correct me) and that’s a great meeting! Wait ’til you have that early moment of silence with a couple of thousand sober folks and all you hear are the seagulls and the waves. Incredible!

A Sober, Clean Day To All,

Mark

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