Take it easy — Everything in moderation

Sometimes we might get caught up in the celebrations and party a little too hard. We get carried away and wake up feeling uneasy about the choices we made the night before.

It’s easier to make choices we’re happy with when we plan ahead. You can save yourself from that morning-after “hangxiety” by taking your time and planning ahead. If you decide to drink or take drugs, taking precautions can help you minimise (but never eleminate) your risk:

• Decide how many drinks you want to have and stick to your limit — maybe you’ll decide to have no more than one drink per hour, or set a maximum of four drinks in the night.
• Alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks — your head will thank you in the morning if you drink a lot of water.
• Choose drinks with lower alcohol content or dilute your drinks with water or ice.
• Eat! What you eat before drinking alcohol can have a major effect on how you feel at the end of the night — and the next morning. Picking protein-rich foods before you drink can help control hunger and decrease the rate of alcohol absorption into your bloodstream and brain.
• Learn about any substances you or your friends are taking in advance so you know the red flags to look out for.

• • Learn how you can identify and handle alcohol poisoning.
  • The ADF (Alcohol and Drug Foundation) runs Text the Effects a free anonymous SMS service to provide basic info about most drugs — text the name of any drug to 0439 TELL ME (0439 835 563) to learn about the effects of a drug, how long it will last, what an overdose looks like, and how you can reduce your risk.

Don’t want to drink? You don’t have to.

Sometimes people feel like they’re going to “make it weird” if they decide not to drink, but it’s likely you’re far more worried about how much you drink than your friends are. It’s likely that they could care less — and if they do, they’re the ones being weird.

If you want a really easy way to avoid questions, the designated driver usually avoids questioning altogether. Your friends will just be happy to have a safe ride home.

If you just want to skip Grand Final celebrations altogether, that’s fine too. You don’t need an excuse to prioritise your own peace of mind.

Protect yourself — on the roads and at home

Big sporting weekends like grand final days can spell danger on the road.

If you are going to have a few drinks, then leave the keys behind. Make a plan on how you’re going to get to and from the match or social events. Arrange a designated driver, set aside a budget for an Uber, or plan your public transport route.

You won’t regret it when you get home safe.

Unfortunately, we know roads aren’t the only danger. Some people don’t feel safe at home either. Big sporting events can be fraught for people experiencing family violence. If you’re concerned about how a loved one might react if things don’t go well for their team, consider reaching out to a family violence service to make a safety plan in advance — learn more about the resources available in Australia.

Planning to gamble? Remember the game is rigged

You are not on an equal playing field. You’re up against multibillion dollar alcohol and gambling industries. They’ve invested enormous time, money and energy into making sure this isn’t a fair fight. If you’re going to watch the game, be aware that you will be targeted by higher than usual amounts of alcohol and gambling advertising. By saturating the game day with marketing, the industries hope to normalise drinking and gambling behaviour at big sporting events like Grand Final Day.

If you are going to drink and also gamble, you might want to set yourself a limit before you start drinking and make it difficult for yourself to exceed it by carrying limited cash or cards. If you are going to gamble, maybe check how this self-assessment can help you to reflect and decide how much you are willing to spend.

Have fun

Overindulging isn’t the only way to have fun. Hang out with your friends and cheer on your team — or bail on the whole thing, stay home and watch Netflix on the couch. Contact a friend who hates the footy (we promise you have one) and ask if they want to grab a meal. Think about what actually sounds fun to you and make that a priority. 

If you want to avoid the match altogether, we have some hobby suggestions you could try instead.

If you feel like you need to drink to enjoy a social event, it might be that it’s the wrong social event for you, and that’s fine. Spend some time thinking about how you actually want to spend your day. If it’s not fun without getting drunk, it’s probably just not that much fun.

Keep safe this weekend, and remember — at the end of the night, you only want to be hearing one kind of siren. 

Counselling Online is one click away

If you do find yourself at any point of the day needing a little extra support or finding the day hard, our counsellors are available for a chat whenever you need.