It's just an ordinary Friday night until your friend rings you up and asks you to come out and get smashed with them. With no other plans for the night you agree and decide on a meeting place. You get to the pub or night club feeling really excited, then you have your first drink and start to feel more talkative, relaxed and confident. The alcohol gives you a great feeling so you decide to have a few more drinks. Soon you act and feel more confident, although your judgement and movement are impaired, you still feel great by this stage, so decide to drink some more. Before too long your speech may be slurred, reflexes slowed, emotions unstable, balance and coordination impaired and if you are unlucky you may experience nausea and vomiting.

         By this stage you just want to go home but you can't drive, so you either get a lift from one of your friends or you are up for an expensive taxi ride home. You are about to hop in your friends car when you find out that they have had a few drinks too. They assure you that they have had a few drinks when driving home before and they got home fine, so you decide to hop in the car with them. You're in the car on the way home when your friend decides to turn the radio on, her favourite song is playing so you both start singing it in high pitched voices and then CRASH!!!!

       You and the driver of the car are lucky and escape reasonably unscathed, you only have a sprained ankle and the driver has a sprained wrist, so you can go home. But the other three people in the car aren't so lucky. One is taken to hospital with suspected spinal injuries, another has severe head injuries and the other person is dead. By this stage you have reported the accident to the police and you have had to tell the parents of your friends what happened.

      Later on in the week your friend is charged with drink driving and may also be charged with manslaughter and grievous bodily harm. You are so angry with her that you are not talking and blame her for the accident because she was drinking before hand. You are also upset about your friends death, and the serious injuries your other friends are suffering from. You sadly realise that things will not be the same as before the accident.

      This story is only one possible negative outcome that can result from over drinking. Other problems can include serious damage to your:

• Health - Too much alcohol consumption can lead to hangovers, vomiting, passing out, weight gain, accidents, fights and feeling depressed. While longer term effects can include liver damage, brain injury, cancer and stomach ulcers.
• Sexual Safety - While being drunk, you are more likely to take part in risky behaviour like unsafe sex that could result in unplanned pregnancy or STIs.
• Relations with family and friends - It's likely that while you are drunk you could have problems such as arguments and fights with loved ones.
• Work or school life - Not turning up to work or not being able to concentrate properly because of your hangover will be detremental to your school or work life.
• Legal standing - Many crimes ranging from violence to drink drving are related to alcohol use. Damages are felt by both the victim and the perpetrator in the form of injury, abuse, arrest, loss of license and jail time.
• Finaces- Having regular big nights out, buying alcohol and expensive taxi fares can leave you broke.

If you do chose to go out drinking with your friends you can reduce the effects of alcohol by eating before you drink, setting limits and counting your drinks. Spacing alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic alternatives and opting for drinks with a low alcohol content will also reduce the effects. Look for the signs that you have had enough and stop when you realise them, plan ahead to catch a taxi or stay the night at a friends place. Make sure you tell somebody where you are going and make sure that you and your friends look out for one another.

Another way of staying safe is to observe the recommended maximum daily intake of alcohol which is as follows:

For men, no more than 6 standard drinks on any day and no more than 28 standard drinks a week.

For women, no more than 4 standard drinks on any day and no more than 14 standard drinks in a week.