Alcohol Warning: Residents of Louisiana and 13 Other States at Risk

(KMDL-FM) It's a time-honored tradition to drink until you forget your problems. But in this case, the drink could be your problem if you happen to be a resident of Louisiana, Mississippi, most of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, the Florida Panhandle, and western Tennessee. You are under an alcohol advisory.

person holding clear drinking glass with orange liquid

Yeah, the issue with booze appears to be focused on the Gulf South, the Mid-South, and the states of the Southeast, and yes, geography has a lot to do with why the advisory is out there to begin with.

There Is No Issue with Contamination - Here's Why There's an Advisory

The first thing we'd like to do is ease your fears that there is a contaminated product floating around this part of the country. There is not. As far as we've been made aware, all alcoholic beverages cleared for human consumption and available for sale in the aforementioned states are safe for consumption.

a store filled with lots of bottles of wine

This blanket statement covers beer, sold cold or hot, package liquors such as whiskey, rum, vodka, and gin. It also covers wines of all kinds. Those products are safe for consumption, and we hope that if you choose to consume them, then you will do so in moderation.

The problem and the resulting "advisory" concern the moderation aspect of your alcohol consumption over the next four to five days. The states we have listed above are either totally engulfed or partially engulfed in a dangerous heat advisory.

Louisiana Residents Face Massive Risk Over The Next Several Days

This advisory suggests that temperatures in those areas could feel like they exceed 110 degrees. This makes for an extremely dangerous weather situation that can and would be exacerbated by the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

To quote the National Weather Service regarding heat advisories and alcohol consumption:

Drink plenty of water or non-alcoholic fluids. Your body needs water to keep cool. Drink plenty of fluids even if you don't feel thirsty. Do not drink alcoholic beverages.

Where Are Heat Advisories Posted Across the United States?

weather.gov

The portion of the country that you see shaded in orange or fuchsia in the graphic above is all under heat advisories or excessive heat warnings. Just the ambient temperature combined with the humidity is enough to create a dangerous situation for human beings.

READ MORE: The Most Popular Alcoholic Drinks in South Louisiana

Alcohol can exacerbate the effects of heat on the body. Alcohol acts as a diuretic, which means it increases the rate of fluid loss from the body. That's why you have a cotton mouth when you wake up after a long night of drinking; the alcohol dries you out from the inside.

READ MORE: Does Mixing Booze with Diet Soda Make You Drunker Faster?

The current forecast suggests that much of the same areas of the country will be under heat advisories or warnings at least through the end of the week. So, plan accordingly and let's hope the power grid holds out. If that fails, our beer could get hot, and then we'd really be in a pickle. Perhaps we should just go to happy hour and let someone else worry about the heat.