High School Formals

Drinking at your formal? Remember to think first…

12 September 2011 by admin in Formal Planning, Homepage, Homepage Featured, Latest

On Friday night two 17-year-old students from a Sydney High School were taken to hospital with minor injuries following a brawl that occurred after their school formal.

Police said the brawl at Darling Harbour involved about 25 teenagers, and that some of those involved - including students at the formal - were drunk. They arrested seven boys aged 14 to 17 and said that whilst it was a dry event organised by students and parents from the school there were some people who were intoxicated.

This may sound like an extreme situation, but underage drinking and incidence like this are on the rise in Australia. One in five teenagers are now reported to be drinking weekly, and worse, alcohol consumption at harmful levels among students aged 12 - 17 who are current drinkers increased from 26% in 1999 to 31% in 2005.

According to a Monash University study released in 2008, the majority of young Australians who report drinking at home report parents as the primary suppliers of their alcohol.

Its fair to say that drinking is a part of Australian culture, but whilst it may sound like a good idea to drink before, at, or after your school formal, having permission to drink at home at your parents’ discretion doesn’t change the fact that underage drinking outside your home is illegal. More importantly, it can also be dangerous.

Dr Christine Bennett, Chief Medical Officer, Bupa Australia, says it is a shocking and worrying statistic that one teenager between the ages of 14 and 17 dies each week as a result of alcohol abuse and many more are hospitalised.

“Binge drinking can lead to violence, high risk sexual activity, depression and, in some instances, brain damage and alcohol dependence," she said.

These are some fairly extreme prices to pay for a night of drunken frivolity. However, the reality is that some teens will drink at their school formals, so if you decide to drink there are a number of things you can do to make sure you stay within low risk levels.

For starters, remember to eat before you start drinking and throughout the night if possible. You should also set drinking limits for yourself and then stick to them, plus it may be a good idea to switch between non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks, as well as drink slowly and alternate with lower alcohol content drinks.

Your formal night is a night you will want to remember, so if you intend to drink, don’t drink so much that you wake up the next morning with a hangover and very little memory of the previous night. You don’t want to wake up to discover someone took photos of you looking trashed or trashy – because we all know that once photos are on the web they’re there forever!

The biggest thing to keep in mind is whether you want to be remembered as the guy or girl who drank too much, did something dumb, got in a fight, got arrested, or worse, hospitalised. Remember to be sensible with your drinking and only drink as much as you know you can handle - responsible drinking can save you from a lifetime of regret (or worse)...