Alcohol and young people

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Experimenting with Alcohol

While some young people choose not to drink at all, many will experiment with alcohol before you reach the legal age. It is important that if you do decide to drink, it is a decision you have made on your own.

If you choose to drink there are a number of things you can do to ensure you drink in a responsible and controlled manner, such as:

• know the standard – know how much alcohol is in what drink so you are aware of the amount of alcohol you are consuming and therefore know when you have had enough
• thirsty? – alcohol does not quench your thirst but in fact makes you more dehydrated. If you are thirsty drink water as this will help prevent dehydration.
• drink slowly – take sips and not gulps. Put your glass down between sips
• eat before or while you are drinking
• One drink at a time – do not let people top up your drinks
• pace yourself – try having a ‘spacer’, a non-alcoholic drink every second or third drink
• stay busy – play pool or dance – don’t just sit and drink
• be assertive – do not be pressured into drinking more than you want or intend to.

Also, remember there are legal consequences for those who drink before the legal age.

To learn more about responsible drinking, go to:

Information on alcohol
http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au/article.asp?ContentID=alcohol#tolerance

Celebrating Safely (Student Brochure)
http://www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/wellbeing/publication/research.htm#celebrate

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