With Christmas and the end of term around the corner, many of us will be excited to see loved ones and celebrate with friends and family. But with these celebrations sometimes comes a pressure to socialise when you’re not really feeling it or go on nights out often involving alcohol and other substances.

Here’s my top tips and advice for how to stay safe, happy, and healthy during the festive period.

Plan your night out

Many different factors can impact how alcohol and drugs affects us, such as how well we slept, what we’ve eaten and drank that day, and the environment we choose to use in.

Using any substance in an environment we’re not familiar with, or with people we don’t know or trust, can make us feel uneasy and unsafe and can change the experience of a substance. So, before a night out, think about how you’re feeling and where and who you’re going with.

Are you in a good state of mind to do this right now? Is this a safe environment for you to do this in? Who are you with? Do you feel safe with them?

It’s also a good idea to plan how you’re getting home before you go out, so you’re not left stranded at the end of the night.

Avoiding hangxiety

Hangxiety, or ‘beer fear’ is the term used to describe the crippling feeling of anxiety after a heavy drinking session. Drinking large amounts of alcohol can cause blackouts, which apart from being dangerous, can also leave us feeling very unsettled and anxious the next day when we can’t remember where we have been, who we were with or what we might have done. This along with disturbed sleep, dehydration and the natural mild levels of anxiety caused by alcohol consumption, can leave us with feelings of worry and anxiety.
Everyone can suffer from it but if you experience anxiety in everyday life, you might feel it more intensely than others.

The best thing you can do if you do find yourself with worries from the night before is to get up, drink some water, eat some food and speak to someone. Often just connecting with someone and talking about how you're feeling can really help.

How to lessen a comedown

A comedown is the term used to describe feeling low, anxious, exhausted or emotionally fragile following a night on stimulants (MDMA, Cocaine, Amphetamine).

Which isn’t surprising when you’ve been dancing until 5am and have drunk very little water - this would mess with your sleep pattern and leave you feeling groggy and grumpy even without the effect of a substance. But whilst using drugs is always going to impact how you feel in the days after, there are things in your control which can lessen the damage.

First, avoid mixing drugs and alcohol. Different substances can have varying side effects which can impact your physical and mental health. The Students’ Union have a helpful guide on how different drugs mixed with alcohol might affect you so take a look at this if you want more information. Mixing drugs and alcohol can also make comedowns more intense and might affect you more if you experience anxiety generally.

Drinking water or isotonic drinks can also help your recovery in the days to come.

Be prepared to say no

Saying no can be challenging at times, especially during the holidays. But it’s necessary if you feel like a certain event, group of people or environment isn’t right for you. This is especially true if you're in recovery from drugs or alcohol as it’s likely to endanger your sobriety.

Staying in one night when you’re feeling overwhelmed, or leaving a party early is ok. Some people might not understand but only you know what’s best for you in any given situation, so do what you feel is best regardless of how it might make others feel.