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5 party season survival tips

by ABC Health and Wellbeing

At this time of year, many of us find our social lives move into overdrive. But with a little planning, you can still enjoy the silly season with your health intact.

Plan your alcohol strategySource: iStockPhoto

Plan ahead...

An alcohol strategy might not sound festive, but then again neither is the headache, nausea and general misery you feel when you overindulge. So before the party starts, figure out ways to control your drinking and the effect it will have on your body. Some tried and tested measures include:

  • Eating something before you start drinking, and eating throughout the night too.
  • Knowing what a standard drink looks like.
  • Making your first drink water – or something soft. It will help you quench your thirst and stop you skulling your first drink.
  • Drinking alcoholic drinks slowly.
  • Choosing low-alcohol varieties of beer or wine, or diluting your alcoholic drinks (try a spritzer or a shandy).
  • Making every second drink non-alcoholic or just water

Minimise a hangoverSource: iStockPhoto

Minimise a hangover

This won't come as a surprise – if you don't want a hangover, don't drink too much alcohol.

But if you do have a little too much, drink plenty of water before you go to bed. And be sure to have water on hand to drink when you wake during the night. (Note it's very likely you will wake up. Alcohol helps you drop off to sleep, but it makes you wake more often, so your sleep is fragmented. Overall, its effect on sleep is negative.)

Avoiding dark coloured drinks, such as red wine, brandy or whisky, can also help. Darker drinks contain substances called congeners, which make a hangover worse.

Keep your stomach happySource: iStockPhoto

Keep your stomach happy

There's only one thing worse than a bad hangover after a party and that's a bad hangover with food poisoning thrown in. Some party foods are especially risky once they've been out of the fridge a few hours – these include soft cheeses (hard cheeses are less risky), meat, poultry, dairy products, eggs, smallgoods such as salami and ham, seafood, cooked rice, cooked pasta and prepared salads such as coleslaw, pasta salads, and rice salads.

The "two-four-out" rule is a good rule of thumb for any of these high-risk foods that have been left out in temperatures between five and 60 degrees Celcius:

  • Two: if the food has been out less than two hours, it can be put in the fridge and used within two to three days
  • Four: If it's been out two to four hours, eat it straight away or toss it.
  • Out: If it's been out more than four hours, don't let it near your lips. Just toss it!

Stay safe the day afterSource: iStockPhoto

Stay safe the day after

If you've had a big night, try to avoid driving the next day. You might still be over the limit. And even if your blood alcohol level is back to normal, research suggests the reduced concentration that comes with a hangover can still affect your driving in the same way as if you were under the influence.

It's also a good idea to avoid using heavy machinery, going up a ladder and doing serious handyman jobs. And as for using chainsaws or other hazardous equipment in the garden... save it for another day. Take it easy, focus on rehydrating yourself (avoiding caffeinated drinks will help with this), eat small amounts of healthy foods (avoid fatty fry ups as these may make nausea worse) and rest.

Beware the social smoking slippery slopeSource: iStockPhoto

Beware the "social smoking" slippery slope

So you only smoke at parties and think the occasional cigarette can't damage your health? Think again. Experts say every cigarette increases the risk of smoking-related diseases and no level of smoking is safe. What's more, it's a slippery slope. When you've had a few drinks at a party, it's easy to lose track of how many cigarettes you've had. This matters because nicotine is highly addictive, so what starts as an occasional habit can all too easily become regular. There may be some denial when this happens. Research shows those who describe themselves as 'social smokers' (saying they smoke only when out with friends) tend to under-report their habit. In reality, most of these people light up daily, half having more than five cigarettes a day and a third having more than 10 a day.

Happy partying...

Published 12/12/2013