The Think Safe to Drink Safe campaign aims to educate the community and create awareness about safe drinking behaviours and share tips to mitigate potential risks to personal safety.
Below is a list of Think Safe to Drink Safe tips which can be used to accompany social posts:
- Know what you’re drinking. Don’t accept drinks from others, always buy your own and watch it get made. Never leave your drink unattended and avoid batch drinks like punches that may have unknown ingredients and alcohol content.
- Pace yourself. Count your drinks, try a low-alcohol alternative, or have a ‘spacer’ of water between alcoholic drinks. Don’t let people continually top up your drink, as it’s hard to keep track of your alcohol consumption and be aware that different drinks and different strengths. Set a timer on your phone to help you pace your drinks.
- Avoid shouts, drinking games or shots. Drink at your own pace, you don’t have to join in every round and consider buying a non-alcoholic drink when it’s your turn. Don’t be pressured into drinking more than you want or intend to.
- Eat before or while you are drinking. If you have a full stomach, alcohol will be absorbed more slowly. Avoid salty snacks, as these make you drink more.
- Stay busy. If you have something to do, you tend to drink less so have a game of pool or hit the dance floor.
- Trust your feelings and instincts. If you feel unsafe, uncomfortable, or worried for any reason, try and get somewhere safe and find someone you trust that can help you like a friend, bar staff, security or police. You won’t get in trouble.
- Have a ‘plan B’. Plans change quickly, ensure you have multiple options to get home safely. Remember you may still be over the limit the next morning.
- Always tell your mates where you’re going. Let someone know which venue you’re drinking at. If you go to another location, particularly with someone you don’t know well, send the address to a trusted friend. If you decide to go home early, leave the group or even just go to the bathroom, let your mates know.
- Keep an eye on your mates! If you are going out in a group, plan to arrive together and leave together. Never leave a friend who’s been drinking on their own. If you’re at a party, check in with them during the night to see how they’re doing. If something doesn’t look right, let a friend know you are uncomfortable or worried about their safety.
- Sometimes sticking together isn’t enough, you need to recognise when you might need to call for help.
- Consent and Boundaries. Alcohol can lower your inhibitions. Be aware of this and set boundaries for yourself before going out. Remember if someone seems drunk they probably can’t consent. Instead, trade numbers.
- Drink spiking. Many drugs and alcohol used to spike drinks are tasteless. If there’s a change in your drink’s flavour or if it tastes or smells stronger than what you were expecting, get rid of it and let a trusted person know. Know the signs and symptoms of drink spiking: feeling dizzy, faint, ill, sleepy, incoherent, confused or drunk even though you’ve consumed a small amount of alcohol. If you experience these, let someone know. If you see a friend experiencing these symptoms, check in and stay with them until they recover. Remember you can call 000 in an emergency, you won’t get in trouble.
