Alcohol and Swimming: Why They Don't Mix

Alcohol and water don't mix. Among teens and adults, alcohol is involved in up to 70% of deaths linked to water recreation, according to CDC, so skip drinks while you swim, boat or watch children, and make sure the adult on Water Watcher duty is completely sober.

Drinking by the water is part of many summer traditions: the barbecue by the lake, the boat day, the beach picnic, the holiday pool party. You don't have to give up the gathering. You only have to keep the drinks and the water apart.

Up to 70%

How alcohol affects you in water

CDC explains that alcohol impairs balance, coordination and judgment, and it increases risk-taking behavior (opens in a new tab). In water, each of those matters:

• Balance. Slips on a dock, a boat or wet rocks become more likely.
• Coordination. Swimming, treading water and climbing out all get harder.
• Judgment. The far shore seems closer. The cold water seems fine. The jump seems safe.
• Risk-taking. People swim farther, dive from higher and stay in longer.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers adds one more effect: alcohol induces an inner ear condition that can cause disorientation when underwater (opens in a new tab). A swimmer who goes under may not know which way is up.

Diving is a special risk. Shepherd Center, a spinal cord injury hospital, advises: avoid alcohol while swimming or diving. It impairs judgment and increases the risk of injury (opens in a new tab). See jumping and diving safety.

What the numbers say

Different studies measure alcohol's role in different ways. Here is what each source found, and what it measured:

The numbers differ because they count different things. They all point the same way.

Supervisors need to stay sober

This is the part people forget: the adult watching the children needs to be sober too.

CDC says it directly: do not drink alcohol while supervising children (opens in a new tab). CDC also says adults watching children should avoid distracting activities like reading, using the phone and consuming alcohol or drugs, because drowning happens quickly and quietly (opens in a new tab). The American Red Cross adds: supervise others sober and without distractions (opens in a new tab).

Parties, picnics and holidays

Busy gatherings are when supervision slips. Many adults, many children, and everyone assumes someone else is watching.

A plan that works:

• Decide before the party who will be the Water Watchers, and make sure they won't be drinking during their turn.
• Pass the job on out loud. The AAP suggests taking turns and passing a Water Watcher card to the next responsible adult every 15 to 20 minutes (opens in a new tab).
• Separate water time and drink time. Swim first. When swimming is over for the day, close the pool gate or leave the shore, then serve drinks.
• Watch the adults too. A grown-up who has been drinking should stay out of the water, off the boat and off the dock edge.
• Keep a phone ready, and know the address for 911.

For hosting at home, see how to host a safe pool party. For how supervision works, see how to supervise kids around water.

Boats and alcohol

Alcohol on a boat is especially risky. The operator needs clear judgment, and a fall overboard from a moving boat can happen in an instant. CDC says alcohol is involved in about 1 in 5 reported boating deaths (opens in a new tab) among teens and adults. Read more in boating under the influence.

Teens and young adults

The CDC MMWR report found that between 25% and 61% of people aged 15 to 34 report drinking alcohol around water (opens in a new tab). Talk with teens and college students about it before summer, not at the lake. Make it easy for them to say no to a swim, a dive or a boat ride when friends have been drinking. See water safety for college students and young adults.

If someone is in trouble

See reach or throw, don't go.

What you can do today

• Make a family rule: no alcohol for the adult who is watching the water.
• Before your next gathering, name the first two Water Watchers and plan the order of turns.
• Plan your day so swimming and boating come first and drinks come after.
• Talk with your teens about drinking around water and how to say no to a risky swim.