3 most dangerous activities for the New Year

1. Alcohol abuse

In January 2019, 24 thousand more people died in Russia than in February. At the same time, the peak of mortality falls on the first week of January - from the 1st to the 7th.

Due to active celebration during this period, 8, 3% more people die in Russia than during the rest of the time.

One of the common reasons is alcohol poisoning. On New Year's Eve, 47% more people die from this than at other times. Also, along with the amount of alcohol consumed, the risk of injuries from falls, murders and suicides in alcoholic psychosis increases.

Even for those who drink quietly and peacefully, the risk of dying from an alcoholic holiday is increased due to exacerbation of heart disease. Large doses of alcohol dramatically increase blood pressure, and if you have heart problems, a feast can provoke a heart attack and other dangerous diseases.

Six or more alcoholic drinks per night increase the risk of heart attack and stroke by 30%. Moreover, the risk remains increased in the next 24 hours after drinking alcohol. Also, New Year's holidays with alcohol by 48% increase the risk of getting pancreatitis - a disease of the pancreas.

How to avoid problems

If you cannot refuse strong drinks, adhere to some rules:

Take enterosorbent before the meal. It will absorb some of the alcohol in your gastrointestinal tract and help you stay sober longer.
Pick one type of alcohol and drink it all evening without skipping to other drinks and cocktails. This will make it easier for you to assess the amount of alcohol consumed and stop in time.
Try to drink no more than one glass of wine or one glass of spirits per hour. The body will have time to process the alcohol, and you will be able to stay practically sober throughout the night.

2. Overeating and eating stale food

In January 2019, diseases of the digestive system were sent to the next world by 1,708 more than in February of the same year. According to the insurance agency, during the winter holidays there is a peak of visits to the hospital with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

After the New Year holidays, gastroenterologists are often visited by patients with exacerbation of diseases of the stomach and pancreas. The combination of fatty, sweet food on the festive table with alcoholic beverages, especially carbonated ones, creates a significant load on all organs of the gastrointestinal tract and can lead to exacerbation of gastroduodenitis and pancreatitis.

Also, the New Year's table can provoke exacerbations of diseases of the gallbladder and ducts: dyskinesia, chronic cholecystitis and gallstone disease.

Maria Lopatina

It is important to understand that if there is a stone in the gallbladder, one should not allow oneself to make mistakes in the form of fatty or spicy foods. This can provoke the release of a stone into the duct and the occurrence of biliary colic, which will require urgent hospitalization in the surgical department.

In addition, the habit of finishing up dishes that are not of the first freshness can cause poisoning. According to the analytic agency of the insurance company, their share on New Year's holidays increases by 8%, moreover, most of it occurs on January 2.

How to avoid problems

Maria Lopatina advises not to change your usual diet on holidays.

Maria Lopatina

If you stay hungry all day, overeating at night is inevitable. It is much more beneficial for the digestive tract not to change the usual diet with a full breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is especially true for people with chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, in whom prolonged fasting, and then eating a large amount of food can provoke an exacerbation.

As for the habit of finishing up the leftovers of New Year's dishes, remember that salads with mayonnaise, meat or fish, cakes and pastries with custard or whipped cream, if stored improperly, can cause serious poisoning.

Maria Lopatina

After the meal, do not forget to put the leftover food in the refrigerator and remember that each food has its own shelf life. If the salad has not been eaten within 12-18 hours from the moment of preparation, it is better to throw it away.

3. Walking while intoxicated

First of all, such night walks can end with frostbitten limbs. The insurance agency notes that during the New Year holidays, 3% of the total number of insured events are frostbite.

Under the condition of windy weather, such tissue damage does not even need a strong cold: -5 ° C is enough. And in the case of really low temperatures (from -15 ° C) and wind, you can freeze something in just five minutes. This can happen without pain, so you will not notice that the skin has lost sensitivity in some place.

Also, night walks are fraught with various injuries of the musculoskeletal system, especially when it is slippery outside. The number of injuries on New Year's holidays increases by 5% compared to other times, and the peak falls on January 1 - on this day, 16% of all applicants come with injuries.

Traumatologist Yuri Glazkov believes that such figures are associated with alcohol intoxication. He says that the "hidden unconditioned reflexes" of drunk people, which allow them to fall correctly and not get hurt, is nothing more than a myth.

Yuri Glazkov

People with the use of even small doses of alcohol are injured not only more often, but also more severely. According to an Australian study, the risk of injury in men increases significantly after drinking 90 g of ethyl alcohol, and women need even less - 60 g.

Yuri says that even an ordinary walk is enough to deprive a person of mobility for several months.

Yuri Glazkov

One patient was returning home in the morning, slipped on the icy steps and fell to one knee. According to the man, there was no severe pain. Perhaps, because the day before a considerable dose of "anesthetic" was taken. It turned out that he had broken the patella, and the tendon of the quadriceps muscle had torn off from his upper pole. I had to do an operation. The full recovery took several months.

Yuri Glazkov also says that falls often end in broken arms. When a person lowers his body weight in a swing on the palm of a straightened hand, the thin and fragile radius bone does not withstand the load and breaks. If on New Year's Eve you are drawn to extreme sports, the risks of going to the hospital skyrocket.

Yuri Glazkov

Last year, a man came who had an unsuccessful skiing on New Year's Eve. Accelerated to insane speed and crashed into a tree. It's good that not with his head - he managed to turn sideways and collided with an obstacle with his shoulder in the area of the upper third. Severe pain, collarbone sticking up, arm abduction is impossible and very painful. Result: rupture of the acromioclavicular and coracoid ligaments and long-term treatment.

How to avoid problems

Most of the alcohol-related injuries occur outside the home. And most of them happen within the first 30 minutes after drinking. If you consumed 60–90 g of ethanol in alcohol (5–8 glasses of spirits or a bottle of wine), refrain from night walks.

Yuri Glazkov

Even after minor injuries to the musculoskeletal system, it takes weeks and months to recover. Remember that it is slippery and dark in places at night. So, if you do not want to be at the traumatologist, stay at home.

The tradition of getting drunk unconscious, overeating and looking for adventure on New Year's Eve is not the best choice for a holiday. Observe moderation in food and alcohol, do not take unnecessary risks: a plate of fried potatoes and a bottle of vodka will not make you happy, but resting in a hospital bed will certainly reduce the quality of life for a week or two.

There is no need to maintain bad traditions. Try to celebrate the New Year in a new way.