Troops - your mission, if you choose to accept it is to:

Carefully plan your approach: STANDARD DRINKS

Most of the “safety” messages about alcohol for young people revolve around the idea of a standard drink…. so you need to know what a “standard drink” means.

Young Adult Health - Alcohol Facts

Australian Alcohol Guidelines - Alcohol and your health

Most “health” messages about alcohol talk about the short-term harms (injuries/road accidents/violence) and the long-term harms (liver disease, cancers and alcohol dependence). Young people have a special risk factor for alcohol use, called developmental harm.

Your brain doesn’t stop growing until around age 25, (which is later than most people think). Until then your brain is laying down its wiring and pathways to help you function properly. Every time you have memory loss or a blackout from alcohol, this process is interrupted and your brain is damaged.

Here’s the scary bit…. If you have ever drunk alcohol and blacked out or lost time… AND you’re under 25, then there is a bit of your brain that will never be able to fully develop.

Research shows that many of the harmful things young people experience, happen when they drink 5 or more drinks on one occasion; that’s why 5 drinks is often the number referred to when people talk about ‘bingeing’. 

Binge Drinking – It’s all about you

Carry only required rations: CONDOMS & LUBE

Condoms are (usually), a latex sheath that a man wears on his erect penis. They are used for vaginal, anal and oral sex. The thing about condoms is that the chances of them failing increase dramatically if you don’t use them properly, so here’s how to sort it:

• Condoms need lube like guns need ammo, you can’t use one without the other. You use them together for a reason. It’s really important to use condoms with ONLY a water-based lubricant – nothing else. No baby oil, no Vaseline, no hand cream, no nothing, no matter what you may have heard. Oils are a natural enemy of latex. The lube must go on the outside of the condom. You can also put it on your genitals, and you can put a little lube inside the condom (to increase sensation).
• Using condoms is one of the best ways you can look after the sexual health of yourself and your partner.
• You can buy condoms everywhere- at pharmacies, supermarkets, 7/11 stores or you can pick them up for free at most youth health services and sexual health clinics.

For a list of youth health services and sexual health clinics in Western Sydney check out the links page.

Condoms & Lube = STI protection + contraception = 2 less things for you to stress about.

Sex can be fun, but it can also be stressful because there are loads of things that can go wrong for all sorts of reasons. By talking openly with your partner about safe sex, and using condoms, you can ensure that both of you are protected from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancies.

Protect yourself at all times: Negotiating consent

It is really important that each and every time you have sex it is something that both you and your partner want, and that you talk about it. This is called mutual consent.

There are some really positive things that can result from sex that happens in the context of a relationship with another person (in the long-term) and from sex that happens with someone as a one-off occasion (in the short-term). You can help encourage these positive things by making sure you:

• Feel safe
• Have fun
• Listen
• Talk
• Communicate

Compromise is a great skill to have, and to use in your relationships with other people, BUT compromising should never leave you in a position where you feel vulnerable.
Remember:

• It is against the law to have sex with someone who doesn’t also want to have sex with you.
• You NEVER have to do anything you don’t feel comfortable about.  

Click here for more Intel on the whole sex thing

So. Have a think about what you’re about to do (or think you might do) and how it might make you feel and then talk about it with your partner.

Look out for your mates: Talk to each other

One of the best ways to stay safe is to look out for each other. This doesn’t mean being responsible for your friends’ behaviour, just being ready to help out if things start to go wrong.

The people around us can influence our decisions, sometimes in good ways and, sometimes in negative ways.

As part of a large group we can sometimes be influenced to make decisions we wouldn’t normally make, and also watch other people we care about make decisions they wouldn’t normally make.

Drugs and alcohol can cloud your judgement even further, and make it a lot harder to make the right choices. Have a think –

• would YOU abandon your best mate if they were messy and getting up close and personal with someone you KNOW they didn’t usually like?
• would you like THEM to walk away from you if you were in the same situation?

Sometimes the decisions we make (that might seem right at the time) feel wrong in the light of the next day. A hangover can be a reminder of this, and so can a trip to the doctor because you’re worried about having an STI, or getting pregnant.

Whatever our decisions are, it’s important to make sure we feel ok about them. If you have regrets about a personal decision you have made, then it’s a good idea (and healthy) to talk about it, but sometimes it is hard to know who is the best person to speak with. You could try mum or dad, or your mates, but if this is not easy, here are a few places you can go for advice.

Reachout               www.reachout.com.au
Kids Help Line       www.kidshelp.com.au
Lifeline                    www.lifeline.org.au
Beyond Blue          www.beyondblue.org.au

Return from action unharmed: Physical and emotional fallout

Parties can be loads of fun, but all the things that can mess up a great night out are not loads of fun. Things like, fighting with your friends or your partner, violence, injuries and accidents may all take a toll on you (that you wouldn’t be expecting at the start of the night). Make sure you take time out to debrief with someone you feel comfortable with if your mission gets messy.

STI SOS:
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are preventable. One of the most common STIs young people get is Chlamydia. BUT Don’t Panic - Chlamydia is easy to test for, easy to treat and easy to cure.

Emergency Contraceptive Pill (ECP) SOS:
If condoms fail or you have forgotten to use them (or another form of contraception) remember you can go to the chemist, your doctor, local sexual clinic or Family Planning clinic to talk about the emergency contraceptive pill. Here's the brief about the Emergency Contraceptive Pill (ECP).

GI JANES

Girls, sometimes trying to be one of the guys and keeping up with them isn’t such a good idea.

• When it comes to alcohol, like it or not girls and guys are different. On average, a guy’s body is about 66% water, whereas a girl’s body is only about 55% water. So why does this matter???…. because females have roughly 11% less water in their body for alcohol to dilute into. This means that when a guy and a girl who are the same height and weight drink the same amount of alcohol the girl will end up with a higher blood alcohol content, and at more risk of things going wrong.
• For girls who take the contraceptive pill, vomiting caused by getting drunk can reduce the pill’s effectiveness, and leave you more vulnerable to becoming pregnant (only if you are sexually active of course!) – If you have been vomiting (for any reason) ensure that you take additional contraceptive precautions through your next cycle and talk to your doctor or youth health service.
• For a range of reasons, it is best not to drink alcohol when taking antibiotics. Some antibiotics can cause stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting if mixed with alcohol.

GI JOES

Injury is the biggest killer of young guys, (with or without alcohol) so how do you and your mates avoid it?

• Try thinking “Would I normally do this?” when you are about to do something for the first time, especially if you have been drinking. Alcohol will slow you down and change your perception of danger. For example, after a few drinks, you might think that climbing a building or walking home 10 kilometres is a good idea…BUT your chances of things going wrong like falling from the building or getting hit by a car on the way home, are much more likely if you have been drinking.
• When you are celebrating, for example the end of school, you often feel really really good, and sometimes this confidence makes you think you can do just about anything. Add to this a few drinks, and suddenly dumb things may seem like a good idea (at the time). Often it is the next day when you are explaining to your parents, the police, the hospital or the medical centre, that you realise you made the wrong decision. So planning ahead might help you to stay in control.
• When you are celebrating, for example the end of school, you often feel really really good, and sometimes this confidence makes you think you can do just about anything. Add to this a few drinks, and suddenly dumb things may seem like a good idea (at the time). Often it is the next day when you are explaining to your parents, the police, the hospital or the medical centre, that you realise you made the wrong decision. So planning ahead might help you to stay in control.