With summer festival season underway, Cook County Health reminds you to have fun – but stay safe.

Heading into the four-day Lollapalooza Festival at Grant Park, Cook County Health officials are cautioning attendees against drug and alcohol misuse.

“What it comes down to is: listen to your body and look out for each other,” said Dr. Jenny Lu, Director of Toxicology and an Emergency Department Physician at Stroger Hospital. “And don’t wait until it becomes serious to seek attention.”

The amount of alcohol a person needs to drink for a potentially dangerous or life-threatening overdose to occur can vary by person depending on their age, drinking experience, gender, as well as other factors. Combining alcohol and drugs can lead to even more serious effects.  

Symptoms of alcohol overdose include:

• Mental confusion and stupor
• Difficulty remaining conscious
• Vomiting
• Seizure
• Slowed or irregular breathing
• Low body temperature
• Clammy skin or paleness
• Slow or fast heart rate
• Loss of gag reflex

Dehydration from a lack of food and water can also exacerbate problems caused by the overconsumption of alcohol.

Dr. Lu said festival attendees should also avoid street drugs, like synthetic stimulants and psychedelics, which are unregulated and may contain contaminants or adulterants and potentially lead to unwanted, unexpected, and sometimes dangerous or lethal effects.  

“Using these compounds can lead to a long list of unpleasant and potentially life-threatening symptoms,” Dr. Lu said.  

People should seek immediate medical attention if they experience:

• Altered mental state
• Severe hallucinations
• Elevated heart rate
• Nausea or vomiting
• Profuse sweating and agitation
• Difficulty breathing
• Seizures

Dr. Lu encourages attendees to seek out the medical tents and cooling stations when they arrive, and to remember to look out for each other.“

If you see someone who is in distress, make sure they get the help they need,” she said. “Don’t let worrying about getting in trouble cost someone their life.”