Hosting a Party

So you’ve decided to have a party? Parties can be a lot of fun! But sometimes things go wrong. You can prevent anything bad from happening by taking some simple precautions. Think about using some these easy tips:

• Ensure you have some non-drinking guests co-hosting to keep an eye on things
• Don’t use glass; instead provide paper or plastic cups
• Make sure lots of food is available for your guests
• Provide lots of non-alcoholic drinks
• Keep emergency phone numbers handy (e.g. taxi, police)
• Be aware of what’s going on at all times and ask your guests to look out for each other
• Ensure that none of your guests are driving home after drinking
• A large number of fire deaths are caused by unsafe use of candles, or by people cooking or smoking while intoxicated. Unless it’s necessary, avoid any activities that could put yourself, your family, or your friends at risk of being hurt in a fire
• Don’t advertise your party over the internet or post flyers to avoid unwanted guests from crashing your party Try to have only one entrance if possible to control who enters the party

Heads up – Take Care of Yourself Too

If you are going out drinking, it’s easy to prevent something unpleasant from occurring. Just ensure you do the following:
Never leave your drinks unattended
• Make sure you see your drinks being opened or poured
• Choose a buddy that you trust, and watch over each other
• Avoid activities where your (and others’) safety requires you to be alert and focused (e.g. boating, driving)
• Don’t trust your own judgment about whether you’re ok to drive; if you’ve been drinking, you are not an accurate judge of your abilities. Play it safe, and if drink, DON’T DRIVE
• Never get a ride with someone who has been drinking, taken any drugs, or is really tired
• Have a cell phone with you so that if you need help, you can call a friend or parent to come pick you up\

Don’t Forget About Your Friends

Although taking care of yourself is important, you also need to make sure you watch out for your friends. Here are some more tips
• Don’t encourage your friends drink more than they want to , or to the point where they lose control
• Don’t encourage or force someone who’s already very intoxicated to drink more alcohol
• Decide ahead of time how much alcohol you intend to have and help each other stick to your limit
• Look out for each other at all times
• Don’t lose a friend to booze; watch for early signs of alcohol poisoning (see alcohol poisoning)

For the Ladies

There are certain facts that girls should be aware of if they are going to drink.

1. Women produce less alcohol dehydrogenase, an enzyme that metabolizes alcohol, than men. In other words, if a man and woman with the same weight drink the same amount of alcohol, the woman’s blood alcohol content will be higher.

2. Women have less water in their bodies than men. This means that the alcohol is less diluted in females, so a woman will have a higher BAC and appear more drunk than a man even if they have the same body weight and have drank the same amount of alcohol.

3. Around the time of your menstrual cycle, you may get drunk more quickly.

4. Women’s bodies process alcohol more slowly than men’s, so the effects take longer to wear off.

For the Gentlemen

Guys should also be aware of several things that apply to them while drinking.

1. Alcohol tends to make people more aggressive. Even something petty can lead to a nasty fight if both individuals involved are intoxicated. Stay out of other people’s fights and if someone gets aggressive, just walk away.

2. Drinking too much and being out of control can increase your chance of being a victim of a sexual assault – it’s not just girls who get assaulted.

3. Alcohol increases estrogen levels in men. In other words, long-term, heavy alcohol use can lead to loss of body hair and muscle mass, development of swollen breasts, shrunken testicles, and impotence.