you gotta learn the map
http://dayzdb.com/map#2.080.092
your first priority should be getting food and water, because you spawn hungry and thirsty. water is pretty easy if you can find a water pump (you see them all over that map). find a water pump, and drink until it says "your stomach is full". then you won't have to drink for like an hour. to get food, you're probably gonna need a can opener or something sharp (you can use a knife or axe, but you lose some food that way). in the process, look for cargo pants, shirts with pockets, and backpacks. when you find food (stay away from rotten fruit), like the water, just eat as much as you can. the more you eat, the longer you can go without seeing that "you feel hungry" crap
when you get your thirst and hunger under control, head for a military area. the airfield at Balota has stuff, but it's usually cleaned out, and
dangerous. my old route from Kamenka to NWAF turned into a gold mine. there's a military base north of Kamenka (SW corner of the map), and a few more north of that
oh yeah, there's zombies. try to stay away from them. if they see you, try to break their 'line of sight'. it can be tricky because they walk through fences and cheat (alpha). the axe is definitely the best melee weapon to fight them with. you can also punch them in the head, and they usually get knocked down, then you can run away. don't stick around and try to fight them with your bare hand though. it might be fun, but you'll lose a lot of blood
and don't try to drink the alcohol
that's to clean your wounds