How to go to a festival and not die in the attempt?

When festivals lasting several days, sometimes some people get carried away by emotion and connect a day with another. Note that the dream fulfills a necessary and vital restorative function for our body. Recommendation? Try to sleep or at least rest a few hours each day. Your body will thank you and you will enjoy better the next day.

The required energy for the proper functioning of our body we obtain mainly through food. If we are join the party, it’s necesary not to punish the body and maintain a minimum supply of survival. What happens when we are on festival? Many people will know … schedules and regular feeding patterns are disrupted. In addition, consumption of certain drugs may decrease feelings of hunger and there are people who can prove it difficult -if not impossible mission- get into some food in the stomach. Proposals? Try to keep the 3 basic meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), even if it is at ungodly hours. If you are that kind of person who makes a “ball” at the time of swallow and you find it difficult, you can choose to eat other things that you like a lot or light food such as sandwiches and fruit In many festvals, due to security reasons, it is not allowed to bring food and beverages inside the facility. It is advisable to read carefully the event regulation and organize yourself previously in order to avoid surprises. Nevertheless, inside the facility you can usually find restaurants, stalls, snack bar, etc. where you can acquire food, refreshments, fruit, ice creams, water… It is advisable to use products that can be well conserved: canned food, vacuumed cold meat, cookies, sliced bread,… Be careful with that food that can get spoiled like dairy or eggs. It is convenient to carry with you some cutlery, cool-box and if the festival and the camping area allows it gas cylinders or camping gas cookers to cook your own food. In the camping area, many festivals provide areas where you can find electric stoves and washing areas to clean all the utensils. You should be caredul because sometimes there are objects that are not allowed inside the facility and these may be confiscated

Water is the main component of our body. The body loses water depending on the level of activity, temperature, humidity or other factors like alcohol consumption and other drugs. Drinking water is important to enjoy a good health because it allows a good hydration and allows our body to have a properly function. In festivals you usually can find free access areas to drinking water and refreshing areas to use them when it is hot. Look for them and localize the water access areas in the facility map. It is recommended to drink at least 2 litres of water per day, but the quantity that we need may depend on the person, the age, the lifestyle, the context or the environment that surrounds us. Both the lack and the excess of water are detrimental for our organism. An excessive consumption of water – to consume more water than the amount of it that your body can elminate – can also bring risks like hyperhydration or water intoxication. Alcohol consumption dehydrates our organism. If you drink alcohol, it is recommendable to alternate the consumption of alcoholic beverages with water or juices, especially if you are drinking distilled or high alcohol containing beverages (cocktails, spirits…). By doing this, you are preventing hangover effects. If your drink alcohol and/or other drugs, it is important to be hydratated with water or isotonic beverages, to avoid close or very hot environments, or to be many hours dancing without resting You can fight the heat with a fan or a water spray gun to get yourself refreshed. Come to the Energy Control stand to find yours.

Many of the festivals take place in summer time, when the hot weather and the sun hit severely. The sun is essential for life and for our body but, like everything else, it must be taken in moderation and with certain precautions. Prolonged sun exposure without proper protection can lead to ‘erythema’ (reddening of the skin, a phenomenon better known as “lobster skin”), burns and skin aging, among others. Recommendations? To use an appropiate sunscreen. To apply it before going out and repeat this act every 2 hours. To avoid or reduce the sun exposure during high intensity hours (from 12h to 16h). To use a cap or a hat.

The assistance to party events (together with the use of portable audio devies) is one of the main factors that are linked to hearing problems in young people. It must be taken into account that people under alcohol and other drugs effects can decrease the attention at the time of being subjected to an intense noise and, particularly, to their natural hearing protective reflexes against loud noises may be reduced. Factors that affect hearing damage produced by sound in party events are: sound intensity and exposure time. The noise intensity threshold to cause damage is between 85 and 90 dBA. Although it is assumed that intensity levels above 90 dB can cause hearing damage, the average of volume in party events is between 104 and 112 dB. At these level, it is enough some minutes of exposure to cause permanent hearing loss, specially if you are close to the speakers. Moreover, the cronic exposure to a noise between 90 and 140 dB produces a disorder known as loss of hearing induced by noise. This disorder, together with the tinnitus (perceptive phenomenon which consits on hearing a whistling that doesn’t come from an outside source) are the main hearing problems associated to the attendance to music and dancing events. It is needed to add that, whereas tinnitus usually is temporary, the loss of hearing is progressive and irreversible Anyway, you can prevent this easily. What can you do? To use protection (ear plugs) which reduce from 10 to 15dB the noise. You can acquire them in a pharmacy or in the Energy Control To do breaks along the night so your ears can rest Not to stay close to the speakers It is specially important to modify habits and improve the auditive protection in those people who have already exhibited audition loss induced by noise, those people who suffer from tinnitus and those people who frequently suffered problems related with otitis in their childhood

The fact that festivals are places where is easy to know new people, intimate with them, feel attraction for others, have sexual relations and even fall in love is not a secret. Occasionally, it can happen that alcohol and other drugs consumption can make ourselves less picky and/or more relaxed at the time of taking certain precautions such as decide with whom, where and how to have sexual relations. To take this into account help us to prevent it Remember that unprotected sexual relations can lead to catch sexually transmitted diseases or unintended pregnancies What can I do? If you go to a festival, be prudent and bring some preservatives with you Do not leave this matter to chance. You can adquire them at pharmacies or you can also come by to the Energy Control stand inside the event area. You cannot say that we don’t make it easy for you, can you? 😉 If you get turned on, but there is not condom, take into consideration other ways of relations and enjoy a type of sex that doesn’t need protection If still you screw up, it is advisable to take the morning-after pill. Remember that this pill is an emergency contraceptive for unusual occasions and it does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases.

When you go to a festival, it is usual to find police or other security corps checkpoints on the road or at the entrance to the enclosure. Note that sometimes, they are also within the enclosure, being them visible or not (covert). What I can do if I take illegal drugs? You have two choices, bringing them from your trusted supplier, or adquire them in your destination. In the first case, you are taking the risk of being punished if you get caught along the way. In the second case, this risk is lower, but other risk increase when you buy to unknown people. In any event, you vcan bring your sample to analyse it at the Energy Control stand and dissipate your doubts In any case, be careful that the DEA doesn’t catch you! If you want to avoid legal problems, the best mate is discretion Carry around only what is yours. Don’t carry around your mates stuff, each one with his/her material It is better if you carry around what is enough or not much more than you expect to consume. The more quantity you carry, the bigger the fine and beyond certain quantities, depending on the drug, it could be considered as drugs dealing and therefore, offence against public health.

Find out beforehead about the conditions and restriction regarding the entrance of food or drinks into the enclosure. It is advaisable to wear a comfortable footwear and – if possible- closed. Besides of stomps and stand many hours on foot, there is quite often broken plastics and glasses on the floor that may cause you cuts if you wear flip-flops or sandals Bet on loose and fresh clothes. But remember, at night it can get chilly and you may need a hoodie and trousers. If you are taking some type of medication, when you are in a festival is easy to forget to take it when you have to. To remember it, you can set an alarm every day at the same time Try not to get dirty your surroundings and please collects your trash. Take care for the environment. A shower always feels good. It cleans, restocks on energy and helps you to relax A positive attitude is basic to enjoy a good party. Respect other people, the environment and yourself When you return back home, if you use your own vehicle, it is important that the person who is driving has rested and he/she is not under alcohor or other drugs influence.