Travel Alcohol & Drugs
Everyone enjoys a few drinks and they can make for great holiday stories and snaps! We all go away on holiday to have a good time but fun shouldn't come at a price! Different countries have different attitudes towards alcohol and your behaviour may offend others. Try to recognise your limits and make sure that you are taking care of yourself:
- Accidents are more likely to happen after drinking alcohol or taking drugs so be careful and know your limits.
- If you have an accident or injure yourself whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs, your travel insurance will probably be invalidated. You could end up spending time in a foreign hospital, where they may not speak English or you may need to be repatriated home at a huge cost.
- Don't drink excessively before you fly. There are severe penalties for being drunk and disorderly onboard aircraft.
- Never drive after drinking or taking drugs or get in a car with someone who has. Try to share a cab with a friend. Never accept a lift from an unlicensed taxi, a stranger or someone you do not completely trust.
- Avoid activities such as swimming or driving any kind of vehicle if you're under the influence of drink or drugs.
- When you have a lot to drink you tend to drop your guard. Be sure to remain vigilant however much fun you're having, and keep an eye out for your friends.
- Remember that drinks served in bars overseas are often stronger than those in the UK so be aware of this and know your limit.
- If you've only just met someone ask yourself whether you completely trust them. Think very carefully as to whether you should leave the pub, club or party with them. Be aware that the use of alcohol and drugs can lead to you being less alert, less in control and less aware of your environment.
- Drugs are sometimes used in rape - it's a fact. Once added to a drink they cannot normally be detected. Try to keep your drink with you at all times.
- Remain aware of other holidaymakers and acquaintances you have made. Rape and incidents of sexual assault are frequently perpetrated by ‘acquaintances’, however casual that acquaintance may be.
- Be careful when drinking in hot climates. You could be in danger of dehydrating or overheating. Drink plenty of water to help prevent this from happening.
Drugs and the law
Although most journeys made by British nationals abroad are troublefree, 2,528 British nationals were detained overseas on 31 December 2005. Over a third of them - 872- for drugs-related offences.
Be aware of the consequences of becoming involved with drugs overseas. Different countries have different penalties for both the supply and possession of drugs. Make sure you obey the local laws. The penalties can often be very severe. In many countries you could be imprisoned for many years; often in grim conditions, fined; or deported for offences that may have incurred a lesser charge in the UK. You can even receive the death penalty in some countries. Remember that if you are arrested abroad you are subject to the laws of that country. The FCO cannot get you out of jail.
Frances Linzee Gordon - Lonely Planet author
Steering well clear of dodgy substances when abroad is old and obvious travel advice. But steering well clear of dodgy areas isn´t a bad idea either.
Once, whilst researching a guidebook on Morocco, I decided -with time and deadlines ever pressing - to take a short cut. The Rif Mountains, though very beaufiful, are well-known for their cultivation of cannabis, and the area´s become almost a no-go zone. But deftly donning a headscarf, fastening my seatbelt and locking all my doors, I clamped the accelerator to the floor of the little Fiat and set off.
All went worryingly well until I turned a corner and came to a bridge. Because of high rainfall recently, the river had risen up and taken away with it half the bridge. Returning on the same route after such a short absence sufficed to raise the alarm.
Within 15 minutes, three enormous Mercedes with blacked-out windows and headlights all flashing were upon my tail. It was all I could do to prevent the cars from overtaking me - and so forcing me to pull over, and we belted down the mountain roads weaving from side to side.
A car chase is every driver´s fantasy, but I had never envisioned it in a Fiat Uno... When at last the three sinister black monsters peeled off from the chase, it was a palpable relief. Next time I will know that “No-Go areas” are just that: no go.
If you‘re considering taking or becoming involved in drugs abroad then read this first, it’ll make you stop and think:
- Pack your own luggage and secure it properly. Never carry packages through Customs for other people and do not sit in anyone else's vehicle when going through Customs or crossing a border. Keep your luggage with you at all times.
- Many countries refuse to grant bail before trial and often detain people in solitary confinement.
- You will still get a criminal record in the UK if arrested with drugs abroad. If you are found guilty you will need to provide details of your conviction, if requested by your employer or insurer.
- If you get injured or ill as a result of drugs, your holiday insurance may be invalidated and your tour operator can refuse to fly you home.
- You should carry a doctor‘s prescription with you for any medication you may need - this will help avoid unnecessary delays during customs and immigration checks. It’s best to keep medication in its original packaging.
- If you‘ve been caught with drugs abroad, you’re unlikely to ever be allowed to visit that country again.
Sandra Gregory's story
“In 1990 I went away on what I thought would be the holiday of a lifetime. Between 1991 and 1993 I was living in Thailand. I had several jobs and a large circle of friends in Bangkok. In 1993 after the military coup I fell ill with amoebic dysentery, lost two jobs and contracted dengue fever. I started to run out of money very quickly - and was desperate to return home to the UK. Two years away from home felt like a lifetime. Out of desperation I stupidly accepted a heroin addict's offer to smuggle his supply of drugs from Bangkok to Japan, in exchange for the money I needed to buy a plane ticket home. I was arrested at Bangkok airport and convicted of drug trafficking - I was sentenced by the court in Thailand to 25 years in prison. I served four and a half years of this in the notorious Lard Yao prison before being repatriated in 1997 to serve the remainder of my sentence in British prisons. In 2000 I was freed from prison after receiving a pardon from the King of Thailand. The years I spent in prison were a traumatic and terrifying experience. I have served a long and punishing sentence which I undoubtedly deserved. I took an extraordinary risk for money and I ignored the price to be paid for smuggling drugs. I will live with the shame and consequences of what I did for the rest of my life.”
We have produced a booklet called Drugs - Information for Travellers. To order a copy or view it online, visit e-mail us at www.fco.gov.uk/travel/publications
*Figures include British nationals detained throughout this period and those detained and subsequently released
Useful Contacts
Talk to Frank / National Drugs Helpline - 0800 77 66 00
Talk to Frank / National Drugs Helpline is a free and confidential drugs information and advice service operating 24-hours a day, seven-days a week. It offers advice and information for those who are concerned, or have questions, about drugs. www.talktofrank.com
DrugScope - 08707 743 682
DrugScope aims to inform policy development and reduce drug-related risk. It is an information service on non-medical use of drugs. www.drugscope.org.uk
Narcotics Anonymous 020 7730 0009
Narcotics Anonymous is a non-profit, international, community based organisation for recovering addicts that's active in over 60 countries. www.ukna.org
Turning Point - 020 7702 2300
Turning Point is a social care organisation working with individuals and their communities across England and Wales in the areas of drug and alcohol misuse, mental health and learning disability. www.turning-point.co.uk
Samaritans - 08457 909090
Samaritans has a 24-hour helpline that offers confidential emotional support for people who are depressed or suicidal. www.samaritans.org