Global Drug Survey’s 10 tips to survive NYE
Our friend Dr Adam R. Winstock from the Global Drug Survey wrote 10 tips to survive NYE:
NYE can be long party and hopefully one you’ll even remember parts of! GDS does not want people to become part of the statistic we put out every year of the 1-2% of participants who says they have ended up in the emergency department in the last 12 months. Most people who do so have drunk too much, and / or taken too many drugs, too quickly. Most of them would have had a better night, avoided the emergency room and probably not ruined the night for their mates as well if they had just taken less, slowed down and not been a muppet.
So to help you have maximum fun with minimum pain and keep you from being a GDS statistic in May 2017 when we release our results GDS has put together some tips on how to last the night, keep you and your mates happy and avoid ending up in the emergency department.
BEFORE
1. Plan your journey home before you start. Getting home can be a nightmare especially if you don’t know here you will end up. So at least give it some thought and if your plans change (especially if they involved other people) let someone know so they can make other arrangements and are not worrying bout you.
2. Purchase your drugs well ahead of time and know what you’re taking. Most people won’t be using drugs on NYE (yes really – you’re in a minority!) but if you are, then you are better off using something from a batch (a pill or powder) you have used before. First you’ll know what to expect and how much to take but second you won’t get ripped off by merchants out to peddle crap for a profit on night where they know last minute calls and requests make easy pickings.
3. Tell your mates what you have and what you’re planning on taking (might mean you should share!). If you’re going to take something unusual or different then might be worth letting your mates know so if you go wonky in the night they know when and if to worry.
DURING
4. Delay (don’t start too early). The earlier you start, the more likely you are to get trashed too early or use up your fun, drinks or drugs before your night has started. Some venues might not let in you in if look too battered and if you are on the pull – you’re more likely to ‘score’ if look and sound in one piece as opposed to chewing for face off, wiping your nose or sweating like a pig
5. Set a limit on what you are going to use and pace yourself. NYE can be a brutally expensive night and a great excuse for saying f**k the overdraft. Dealers love the festive season – and so should you but you probably know how much makes for a good night – buying more will probably just leaving you poorer with a worse comedown and bigger black-hole in your bank. NYE is a marathon not a sprint so once you’ve started don’t forget that drugs and alcohol carry on working their magic for hours after you take them and that taking more drugs in a shorter space of time is not usually more fun, and leaves you either tapping off your mates or reaching for your phone.
6. Don’t re-dose too soon no matter what you are using. Drugs and alcohol take time to reach their peak effect. For almost everything you want to avoid re-dosing (taking more) when you are peaking, if you do you’re likely to go past the point of being nicely trashed to a place that is less nice. For booze this means slowing down your drinking loads as you get to the place of being as drunk as you want to be. For pills remember it can take 2-3 hours to peak and that even small doses on top of the dose that gets you happy can tip you over. Always leave at least 3 hours between doses and don’t mix pills and powders from different batches
7. Look out for your mates. Friends are trusted, can share good advice and give a shit about you so keep them close. Friends know when someone is in trouble. If a girlfriend is wondering off with someone who you don’t know who worries you – say something. If your mate can’t communicate, they’re extremely confused and agitated, they’re might be twitching / jerking, and burning up it might be a clue something is wrong. If you’re worried then get them somewhere quiet, loosen tight clothing and seek help. Don’t be afraid to call for an ambulance. The police (if they turn up) are only there to protect the emergency teams. They are not there to looking for people who might have something on them. Your mates comes first. Can’t wake a mate – call for help, put them in the recovery position and stay with them till help arrives.
8. Stay well hydrated (alternate alcoholic with non-alcoholic drinks) and stopping your drinking and anything else at least a few hours before you plan your night to end so you can get off to sleep naturally as opposed to crashing out. Having a pee before bed and maybe a couple of paracetamol might not be a bad idea either.
9. Have an amazing night (maybe even morning) and hopefully remember most of it to share with everyone the next day (of the day after maybe).
AFTER
10. Sleep, eat, smile and hope that Facebook, Snapshat, Twitter and Instagram have the same memory of the night as you do. And if you have nothing else to do then take the GDS2017 before we close on Jan 10th at www.globaldrugsurvey.com/GDS2017
Have an epic night 
<3
x Unity
