The World Cup games have been screwing with my mental stability in more ways than one. Pubs are opening at far too early an hour, friends are awake and texting before I've completed my mandatory number of REM cycles, and on the days I do wake up to go watch a game, my entire day is turned sideways because of my random sleeping/drinking habits. [[I won't even go into how random it is that so many people are interested in soccer all of a sudden. Half these people wouldn't have know who Landon Donovan was a month ago, and now they pray to him. Thats a whole different post.]]
After living through a full day (6:30am-2:00am) of pubs, bars, beers, downtown, uptown, boats, bikinis, and cab rides, I have compiled some knowledge for those attempting to do the same. These days won't be every day. In fact, they may only happen once a year. (For your general health, I suggest that they only happen once a year.) But when they do, lets all learn from the mistakes I made on Tuesday.
1. Do have breakfast. Bacon, eggs, toast, pancakes-- all fantastic ideas. Especially if you plan to keep the dream alive all day.
2. Do start early. Generally, the earlier you start drinking, the earlier you'll fall asleep. In this case, sleep is sweet. Bloody Mary first thing in the AM will kick start your day so you aren't wasting time. (And the serving of veggies doesn't hurt one bit.)
3. NAP. If you are near a couch, chair, bed, park bench before 11am, for goodness sakes, take a nap. There is no shame at all in giving in to 30 minutes of renewal. You'll thank me around 6pm.
4. If you aren't asleep, keep moving. Walk as much as possible. Don't get stuck at one bar. The longer you stay in one place, the worse your chances are of making the day.
5. Say Yes to offers that involve leaving the drinking area. Someone wants to take a trip to the mall? Go with them. Up for a boat ride? Count yourself in. You'll be back to drinking soon enough, but keep yourself moving and the endorphins flowing.
6. Water. Drink it.
7. And don't forget food. Eating is still important. Beer may have calories, but it is not food.
8. Pick your friends wisely: Drunk friends will make your night shorter, sober friends will make you feel drunk. Get someone from the in between.
9. Don't get stuck alone-- especially after 3pm. Always be with a friend, and don't be afraid to switch friends every so often.
10. Do all of this downtown so that you can hop in a cab and be somewhere new and more exciting whenever you feel a crash coming along. You've made it this far, you might as well power through the night.
11a. If its after 6pm, going to sleep will end your night. Do not try to nap. Have a big cup of cold water and get back to socializing.
11b. If you have to work the next morning, go to sleep at 6pm. Your body NEEDS those extra hours to clean up the mess you've made. (Believe me, you've made a really big mess for just 12 hours.)
I wish I'd had this information earlier. Hopefully it gets to you before World Cup games try to throw off your drinking stamina. The world is depending on you to wake up for those 7am games.
I really am drinking for the greater good.
L
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