Festive season survival guide

With summer holidays and the festive season just around the corner, the Safety & Wellbeing team have the perfect gift for you - a guide to help you survive it!

1. Alcohol

Test your safe drinking knowledge with the ABC Health & Wellbeing's health IQ quiz.

Christmas parties

In New South Wales, occupational health and safety legislation extends to work functions, including Christmas parties. It is expected that staff will take reasonable care of themselves and others at work-related functions. It is up to the individual to consume alcohol responsibly, and abusive consumption of alcoholic beverages shall not be seen to excuse unacceptable conduct.

There are ways to reduce your drinking without diminishing your enjoyment of the occasion:

Be wary of "shouts", i.e. taking turns to buy drinks for those in a group.

The "shout" often means that everyone in a group drinks as quickly and as much as the heaviest drinking, fastest drinking member of the group.

• If drinking with a large group get into "shouts" with only two or three others, preferably with people who drink at a similar rate to you.
• If you are in a shout, buy yourself a soft drink when it is your turn to shout. It means that you have a regular break from alcohol throughout the drinking session and it saves you money.
• Try always to eat properly before drinking and while drinking. If you are eating chips and peanuts, try drinking a non-alcohol drink with them as they will make you thirstier.

Pace yourself.

Only have one drink each half hour or each hour. Take smaller sips of a drink, rather than gulping it. Be careful to avoid "top-ups" at parties. Unless you finish a drink before refilling your glass, it is hard to tell how many drinks you have consumed.

Don't just drink.

Focus on socialising.

Drink for the taste.

Drink something you enjoy and savour the taste of it.

Avoid drinking spirits with beer chasers.

This style of drinking can allow you to consume a large quantity of alcohol very quickly.

If you drink spirits, dilute them.

If you are buying a glass of spirits, you can usually ask for a half-nip, and if you are making them yourself, you can add more of a mixer to reduce the strength of the drink. If you drink beer, try a low-alcohol beer, at least occasionally during the session.

Start later.

If you are thirsty, try having one or more soft drinks before you have an alcoholic drink.

Learn to refuse drinks.

If you have had enough, bow out of the shout or ask your host/hostess not to pour you any more drinks. No one else has the right to try to force you to drink any more than you want to drink.

(Adapted from the University of Wollongong with permission)

The National Health and Medical Research Council has guidelines regarding the consumption of alcohol.

The Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre has developed an online self assessment for risky drinking (opens an external site) based in part on the World Health Organization's Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test.

Need help?

• Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS)
  Telephone: 1800 422 599 (Toll Free) or 02 9361 8000
• Alcoholics Anonymous Australia
  Web: www.aa.org.au
  24 hour help line: 1300 22 22 22

2. Healthy holidays

A hard-earned break can do wonders for your health and wellbeing, but there can also be hidden perils. The ABC Health & Wellbeing Healthy holidays guide provides some points to ponder before you pack your bags.

Safe holidays

Sun, sand and surf say summer in Australia. But, even though the hot weather is an invitation to have fun outdoors, it's also a time to be aware of the dangers. HCF have compiled a summer survival guide that tells you what you need to know about keeping you and your family safe this summer.

3. Holiday driving - Are we there yet?

• NSW rest areas and other stopping opportunities
• Pacific Highway information
• Live Traffic Information
• Speed camera locations
• Travel easy, not queasy: tips for avoiding car sickness

4. Don't want to overindulge?

The festive season can be tough if you are trying to lose weight. The Health Project's Christmas Tips (PDF, 403 kB) provide some advice on avoiding the pitfalls and here for some tips on looking good from Weight Watchers.

5. So you think you know about sun care?

The Cancer Council of New South Wales' sun protection myth busting quiz will test your sunscreen smarts.

6. Budgeting for the holiday season

Here are festive season spending tips for savvy shoppers (PDF, 401 Kb) to ensure you don't over spend this year before heading to the shops.

7. All in the family

Get-togethers can be stressful, so check out the Victorian Better Health Channel's hints on dealing with yuletide tension.

8. Don't forget the pets!

Read up on the RSPCA's Safe Summer for Animals.

9. BeachSafe

Need some info about beaches you may be visiting? BeachSafe provides up to date information about Australian beaches. The site helps you navigate easily to your desired destination, providing you with real-time information about the weather and surf conditions, potential hazards which you should be aware of and amenities and parking details for your visit. If your search presents you with conditions that don't suit your needs (good surf, protection from the wind) then simply navigate to an adjacent beach to find conditions that maybe more suitable.

BeachSafe's beach safety fact sheets are an valuable resource, covering everything from an explanation of flag colours and rips to rock fishing.

10. Safe at UTS