Time to wrap up for tonight guys! Thanks for an awesome discussion! We started off the night with asking what makes a good night out for you. - good music - good food - good company - dressing up (!) - not necessarily alcohol, though it can be part of a good night too! We then asked if you celebrate the end of year especially end of year 12. - There were mixed responses, some do and some don't… But we recognised that there are other options. - For some of us the end of year 12 was the first time we started drinking, so it was a bit overwhelming at times! What makes a great night turn sour? How can we avoid this? - Having to look after drunk friends - especially if this happens frequently - drama/fighting - being pushed into something you don't want to do - We need to be aware of our limits, responsibilities and the wishes of our friends, to avoid these things from happening! We then discussed whether we've had to help a friend our after a night out and how did we help them? - Alcohol seems to be a big culprit in this. So it's important that we keep communication open. - Things we've done have involved holding hair back while friends vomited, even having to call ambulances! - Trying to be a voice of reason can help diffuse situations. - Making sure our friends drink plenty of water throughout the night is also important! - Also remember that we have probably been on both ends of the situation too.. our friends have had to look after us too, so don't be too tough on your friends! We also discussed what to do when a party gets out of hand… - It can be tough but sometimes we DO need to call the police/ambulance if we are at a house party. - We can talk to bar staff/bouncers if we are concerned. - Our safety is number 1! We also discussed "go-to-tips" for partying… - having a safe meeting place with friends. - alternating alcoholic drinks with water - having a plan on how to get home and a general plan of the whole night - having enough money for a train/taxi trip home. Finally we discussed reliable sources for information on drugs and alcohol. - ReachOut.com is a great place to start and so is google. - There are a fair few good websites out there including: http://www.thecoolspot.gov/ http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au/topics/safe-celebrations http://www.youthsafe.org/current-projects/safe-celebrating.html http://www.drugs.health.gov.au http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au http://www.adin.com.au http://www.saveamate.org.au http://www.alcohol.gov.au http://www.hellosundaymorning.com.au Thanks for joining in tonight, guys!! :)   See you next week. :) ... View more

@gail wrote: Where can you get reliable info on drugs & alcohol from? Why is having reliable information about alcohol & other drugs important?   ReachOut is always a great resource, but there are also some other great resources... Defintiely agree with Soph that we need more.   Here are some good ones though:   http://www.drugs.health.gov.au http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au http://www.adin.com.au http://www.saveamate.org.au http://www.alcohol.gov.au http://www.hellosundaymorning.com.au ... View more

Sounds like fun, DD! Getting dressed up is always fun!! I am going to a ball in a couple of weeks and I'm already looking forward to doing my make up, wearing my pretty dress and heels! It makes you feel like a princess, hey? I hope everything works out with the course at uni - but it's great that you are being positive and remembering that you tried really hard. :) ... View more

I don't think I have much more to add... Maybe making sure you have your friend's mobile numbers and making sure they have yours so you can ring each other if you get lost. Having a plan for getting home at the beginning of the night and making sure you keep enough money for a taxi! ... View more

Okay guys!   Keep those responses coming! They are great!   Next question:   What are some important things to remember when attending a party/night out/festival? Do you have any go-to safety tips? ... View more

Thanks for joining in Loz!!   @gail wrote: Sounds like we've all been in that position where we've had to look after someone! It's great that you guys are looking out for your friends. Next up:   What can you do if a party gets out of hand? You can try to diffuse the situation yourself, but your safety is the most important thing, so if it's getting dangerous, it's important to not put yourself in a dangerous situation! If it's just starting to get out of hand (a bit of arguing) than maybe you can try separating those people involved and distracting them. But if it's getting violent or if you feel unsafe, it's important to get other people involved. So if you are at a nightclub or bar, talk to a bouncer or the bar staff, but if it's at someone's house it's important that you call the police/ambulance (if necessary) if it's getting out of hand! It might be a difficult thing to do, but it's so important as people could get hurt. It's probably best to also call those people as early as possible so that they can arrive before things start getting out of control!!! It's also important to listen to what they say, so don't argue back! They are doing what's in your best interest.   I also believe prevention is important so if you are having a house party, tell the police so they can keep an eye on the house (they can do drive bys to make sure there are no gatecrashers!), hire security and only invite people you know (SO NO OPEN INVITATIONS ON FACEBOOK!!! - Facebook events are fine, as long as you make it private and explicitly tell people it's an invite only party!). Make sure you have adults around who are sober too. Safe partying is fun partying! ... View more

Wow. Sounds as though a lot of us have had experience with having to help drunk friends! You all have some awesome advice! I also think trying to prevent the situation is the most effective technique! So making sure our friends eat, and drink plenty of water if they are drinking alcohol. I love that we are all so caring for our friends! :) It's great to see! But it can be upsetting seeing a friend so unwell from alcohol/drugs! Thanks for all your thoughts guys! :) ... View more

@gail wrote: What kind of things can make a great night out turn sour? How can you avoid these situations?   Not being supportive of each other and respecting each other's wishes. If a friend wants to leave early, or doesn't want to drink than we should respect that! Little things like safety should also be considered! Making sure you know where all your friends are is important too. :) I think having good solid plans in place, is important for avoiding sour situations! Also... DESIGNATED DRIVERS!!!!!   Make sure you drink plenty of water too, if you are drinking alochol! Most bars will give out free water, so make good use of it! ... View more

Seems as though we have some fairly good idea on what makes a party turn sour and how to avoid them! Thanks for sharing guys - keep those tips coming!   Have you ever had to help friends out at a party or on a night out? How did you help them? ... View more

@gail wrote: It's interesting to hear how different our experiences of post-school/uni parties are! Even if we are having big nights & drinking though, it's possible to do it safely. Next question:   What kind of things can make a great night out turn sour? How can you avoid these situations? Exploring sounds fun, Bee! Some people are definitely not the kind of people who enjoy alcohol fueled parties. I've never been one of those people. But I don't mind a bit of wine and a few cocktails every now and again. Going out and getting really drunk is not my idea of fun though! If it happens coincidentally, it's okay - but my goal of going to a party is NOT to get drunk! ... View more

omg. Dressing up is awesome too! I wore my new heels on the weekend and it was one of the highlights of my night lol. welcome this is jess! I think many can relate to the stumbling to the train station and craving greasy food! But does this match your ideal party (Question 1)? Thanks for joining in everyone! Sounds as though many of us have had different experiences of parties. :) Some good, some bad! ... View more

@mischiefmanaged wrote: Did/do you have parties when the school/uni year ended? Or are you planning on partying when the 2012 school/uni year is over? What do you expect these parties to be like? I went to schoolies (on the Gold Coast) at the end of year 12! I didn't really enjoy it that much though... Schoolies week is VERY different for QLDers compared to the rest of Australia as we are generally under 18 when we finish high school (that will change in the coming years though!). So it was a lot of organized beach parties, and "secretly" drinking alcohol.   I didn't stay for long... I had a bit of an argument with my best friend at the time so I left early. Schoolies is really bad for fighting with friends (most people I know fought with their friends/partners at schoolies). For many of us it was the first time we were really allowed to be independent and we didn't really know how to cope with all that independence! So we argued over stupid things!   If you are going to schoolies I'd really recommend setting some ground rules before you go. Simple things like always making sure you are NOT alone. If someone wants to leave a party early, make sure someone else is prepared to go with you! Make sure you don't do anything stupid (e.g. peircings, not using protection with sexual partners and drinking excessively and/or if you are going to experiment with drugs make sure you do it in a SAFE environment - not in the middle of a party with a bunch of people you don't know!).   In conclusion, I think often we think schoolies is something it REALLY isn't! It is very different from what I expected! It can be great fun but safety is paramount! ... View more

Seems as though good music and food are important for good nights out! :) Next question... Did/do you have parties when the school/uni year ended? Or are you planning on partying when the 2012 school/uni year is over? What do you expect these parties to be like? ... View more

hey hey I have had an okay week... Was busy over the weekend and then the past two days I've been really sick! So that sucks!!! My highlight was going to my brother's girlfriend's birthday party on Friday night. Was a good night AND I got to wear my new heels which made it extra special!!! ... View more

Good evening all! I'm looking forward to a great discussion tonight!!! I am not a huge party animal, but these days I like to be surrounded by friends, a bit of music (not too loud though!), a bit of alcohol and good food! :) I prefer the atmosphere of pubs/bars than clubs as I find clubs to be a bit dodgy! I am much more of a night in kind of girl though! If I go out I like to be home by a reasonable time (e.g. before midnight!). I am often designated driver too so I don't drink - you don't need to drink to have fun! ... View more

Night guys! :) Thanks for a great session. See you next week! ... View more

Woo! I'm so glad to hear we all have amazing plans for "me time" in the coming week!!!   For me... I'm going to:   1. Run around the backyard with my dog for 10 minutes 3 times this week... he loves playing so much. 2. Do some kind of baking... or cooking... depends on what I feel like. 3. I'm going to do some quilting! I've been meaning to do that for ages!     Good luck with it all guys! I look forward to seeing how we go! ... View more

@mischiefmanaged wrote: If you were to incorporate 'me time' into your day, what kind/s of things would you do during that time? Playing with my dog (or walking him), going for walks in general, reading, playing boring games on my phone (mindless stuff is good sometimes!), doing crosswords (and other puzzles), having a nice relaxing shower, listening to music, walking around the shops (hello window shopping!), cooking (especially baking), crafty things, hanging out on the RO forums!!!       Loki, I'm so glad to hear you suggested turning your phone off! Technology is great but sometimes it's really good to just get away from it for a while!   ... View more

Awesome! It's great that we all know how important taking time out is... So now we need to think more about HOW we can do this!   If you were to incorporate 'me time' into your day, what kind/s of things would you do during that time? ... View more

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOKI!!!! ... View more

Hey sagira, glad you could make it. :) It's great that you are taking 30 minutes out a day to have some me time! And it seems like you are noticing benefits! Seems as though we all agree that taking time out is good for you! It's good for your wellbeing in general so it's really important! ... View more