You have likely heard of a bar crawl going on at some point in your town. However, did you know about the dangers of bar crawls? These events involve a lot of people and a lot of drinking, which can be a dangerous combination. If you are ever going to attend a bar crawl, know what to do in order to stay safe.
Dangers of Bar Crawls: What to Do
Alcohol
Bar crawls are associated with binge drinking and consuming a lot of alcohol. These events involve going to multiple bars and having drinks at each one. There may also be drinking games at bar crawls, which would lead you to consume even more alcohol. You may not even realize how many drinks you have had over the course of time. Drinking this much in one outing certainly can have negative effects. You may become intoxicated, do or say things you do not mean, and make bad choices. You could also feel nauseous or get sick, black out, or worse – get alcohol poisoning. The next morning you could feel hungover as well.
If you are attending a bar crawl, consider not drinking at every bar you stop at. Also, make sure to drink plenty of water in-between alcoholic drinks. This will slow down your drinking pace and keep you hydrated so you may not feel as hungover.
Multiple Stops
Changing locations so many times is another one of the dangers of bar crawls. Each time you have to go to a new location, the participants are put at a higher risk. For example, the people at the bar crawl may have to walk to a new location when changing bars. As people loose their decision-making skills, as well as coordination, after drinking, this could be dangerous. Someone could wander off, or even trip and fall. They could also walk into the road and possibly get hit by a car.
Another risk would be the dangers involved if participants decide to drive between locations. Drunk driving is very dangerous to the driver, passengers and others on the road. To help reduce these risks, you should try and have pre-arranged transportation with designated drivers.
Many People
Some bar crawls involve very large groups. While it can be fun to participate in events with many people, this can be risky when alcohol is involved. Alcohol can make people more irritable and not have good judgment. This increases the risk for arguments and fights and even potential drugged drinks– and the more people there are at an event adds to this. People could also decide as a group to become unruly. They may see someone in the group acting up and want to join in too. Some bar crawls can have thousands of people in attendance. It may be wise to stick to smaller bar crawls, staying away from ones with large groups.
While bar crawls can be a lot of fun, there are certainly some risks to attending them. Limit how much alcohol you drink, be smart while transitioning between locations, and be mindful of the size of the events you attend. Keep these tips in mind if you are planning on going to a bar crawl. You can still have fun while staying safe.