Help Your Mate - Alcohol advice
Here are our tips and advice for staying safe while having a good time with your mates if you are drinking alcohol.
Understanding alcohol
Alcohol affects everyone in a different way. Sometimes you will feel the effects very quickly, and sometimes you won’t notice them for a while. How long you feel the effects can also be different every time. It can all depend on various things including your size, if you’ve eaten, the strength of the alcohol you’re drinking, how much you’ve drunk, and whether you’ve used any other substances.
For a safe sesh, avoid mixing alcohol with other substances. It increases the risk of overdose.
Keeping yourself safe
- Eating meals before you drink will line your stomach. This means the alcohol will be absorbed into your body more slowly. Meals with lots of carbohydrates like pasta, bread, and potatoes are especially good.
- Alternate alcoholic drinks with soft drinks or water. This will help you stay tipsy instead of getting too drunk. It will also help to stop you from feeling dehydrated and hungover the next day.
- If you’re starting early, try to stick to lower-strength alcohol drinks. In hot weather, make sure you drink more water and isotonic drinks to replenish the salts lost.
- Don’t drink on your own, instead drink with people that you trust. You can keep an eye on your mates and they can keep an eye on you. If anyone does injure themselves or get into trouble, you’ll be able to get help.
- Drink spiking is when someone adds another drug to your drink without you knowing. To reduce this risk, never leave drinks unattended and don’t accept a drink from someone you don’t know. If you think your drink’s been spiked, tell someone straight away.
- Consider how you’re feeling before you start drinking. If you’re feeling sad or angry, reconsider drinking alcohol. It will likely make these feelings worse or could get you into trouble.
- If you’ve been drinking less or haven’t drunk in a while, you’ll have a lower tolerance. You may notice that you need less alcohol to feel the same way you would have done before. Pace yourself and avoid mixing drinks. If you don’t, your night might end early and you’ll feel worse the next day.
- If you’re drinking at a house party, or in your garden, it might be hard to know how much alcohol you’re drinking. Consider cans over spirits so it is easier to keep track of what you’re drinking. If you do choose spirits, use a mixer to make the drink last longer. Only make your own drinks so you know exactly what is going in it, and use a shot glass to measure spirits.
Drinking alcohol can also cause unpleasant side effects, such as:
- Slurred speech, drowsiness, and vomiting
- Blackouts and memory loss
- Depression. Alcohol is a depressant so the more you drink, the more likely you are to feel negative emotions.
- Poor sleep, which can impact your wellbeing
- Dehydration. This can make you feel sick and give you dry and blemished skin.
- 'Hangxiety’ or ‘The Fear’ – the feeling of a hangover and anxiety the day after drinking
- Alcoholic drinks are also full of calories
There are other risks to drinking alcohol:
- If you’ve drunk a lot the night before, your body may still have alcohol in the system. Don't drive the next day to limit the chance of an accident or getting into trouble for drink driving.
- Drinking too much alcohol can lead to alcohol poisoning, which can be very dangerous. Keep an eye on your mates and if you notice any of the following signs, call for an ambulance: vomiting, irregular or slow breathing, pale/blue skin, passing out, or being unconscious.
- Drinking for a long time can lead to physical dependency. If someone is dependent on alcohol, it’s important that they don’t suddenly stop drinking as withdrawal from alcohol can be dangerous. If you’re worried about your drinking, find your local service or speak to a member of our team online.