From your person experience, does drinking before flying help calm your nerves?

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GET

nope it does not help

krikors_lamb

I don't advise drinking before a flight. It can make a person sick, and it can also give an airline a reason to keep you off the flight (I have seen them do it more than once).

I would recommend if you must drink have just one. Wine or mixed cocktail would be better than beer. Also, the alcohol from that kind of drink, especially wine, will help your stomach a little. But only if you have just one.

I usually wait till I board the plane, since I usually get upgraded to First Class and have a free drink, and then I will have one glass of chardonnay, maybe two, but no more than that. It has always helped my stomach, especially if I had a little upset stomach from the flight.

Most people who sit there drinking in airport bars are just buying into an old myth, it's not really a good thing for a person to do. When you fly, your body goes through a lot of stress, being in a pressurized cabin at that altitude and moving upwards of 200 mph with little movement the whole time actually does affect a human body. Drinking is mostly not helpful, but if you must drink, have no more than two, and one is preferable.

And again, wine or a mixed drink - beer's bubbles can really give you an upset stomach on a plane due to the pressurization of the cabin.

Good luck!

rebeca

i find that it relaxes me...but that is my reaction to alcohol, not all people respond to alcohol that way but most do. i have a fear of flying and always have a drink before i board and if it is a long flight i will have another on the plane. red wine is a good choice because for some reason it makes me sleeper than other alcohol and........i LOVE red wine so its a good excuse!...CHEERS!!

phalandrone

depends on your tolerance to drinking. for short haul flights its ok to have a couple of drinks but on long haul when you fly through several time zones the whole thing changes. my rule on long flights is 2 drinks before you get on, one every hour with a can of mineral water for two hours then a good sleep. no more untill you eat. works well everytime.

dcgirl

My experience... drinking before a flight used to calm my nerves but after I started flying a lot for work (sometimes as many as 8-10 flights a month) I gradually stopped drinking before the flight. I think this is because I used to travel a lot with a friend who was petrified of flying; her being nervous made me nervous and I pretty much "learned" that I couldn't fly sober. Now I often have to drive from the airport or meet a customer right after my flight and I simply don't have the option to drink. The first flight I had to take stone-cold sober was a little tense but I snapped out of it and now I fly sober more often than not. Now, if I have a few drinks before the flight (or on the flight) it's because I want to have a beer and not because I'm panicking.

PS one of the down sides to drinking before the flight is you have to pee during the flight. If it's a long flight, you might be better of staying sober and going to sleep instead of having to get up a couple of times to go to the bathroom!

Fleur de Lis

Yes. But if it a really early morning flight I won't drink.

goofy

If you want to get an alcohol calm yes it will...I recommend you get your doctor to write you a script for something much better...

isis

I travel ALOT and drinking will not really help. At higher altitude you become dehydrated much faster and alcohol makes it worse. You're better off taking a sedative (with lots of water)...Tylenol PM or a prescription Valium should help.
& remember drink lots of water when you fly.
Have a nice trip :)

aleks

doesnt make a differece in terms of nerves but its good to drink before and during teh flight (non-alcoholic beverages and not coffee) to stay hydrated as long flights cause u to de-hydrate

Charlene

Actually, once, it made me air sick.

But, to others who don't get airsick, I think it might be one way to calm you down before your flight...

Another is getting a sound-blocking headset and a CD player, and just playing that while boarding and riding the plane... Other than that, I can't help you.

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