It’s Halloween, so go throw an
epic party. Not only can parties be good for your health but some of the great
ancient tales of Ireland involve epic parties. My favourite is the tragedy
of Diarmuid and Gráinne, the star crossed
lovers whose story reads like some iron age fusion of Romeo and Juliet and Natural
Born Killers, with Diarmuid slaughtering all would dare to catch them, while
the pair of them resisted their biological urges until, but of course, they got
to Galway, where they, ahem, did lay down together… (This of course is not
entirely unnormal behaviour for people visiting Galway – the whole epic erotic
energy of the place can send the best of us cracked).
All of which leaves the
inhabitants of modern Ireland (and Galway in particular) under a bit of
pressure when it comes to throwing our own parties. Ideally modern parties
should combine fun, food and fabulous tales, whilst at the same time sending
sparks through everybody’s brains and hearts that will lead to stunningly
heroic adventures that will be sung about down through the ages. At the very
least parties are a great way to wind down, relax, shoot the breeze with old
friends, make new friends and celebrate life. In fact taking time out from the
stress and pressure of everyday life (jobs, exams, bills, and relationships) is
great for your health and wellbeing, which will help with your ability to cope
with life’s difficulties.
However, the problem is that when you do manage to throw an epic party, the chances are that some fecking
eejits will come along looking for an excuse to get pished, grope or fight
other party goers, vomit on the carpet and leave a trail of broken glass and
burn marks. This can only increase stress levels for everybody. But do not
panic Columbia University’s Go Ask Alice programme has great tips on how to
throw great stress free parties. These include:
Make sure there lots of great
food with low salt levels (salt makes people thirsty). Have drinks set up in a separate
room, with plenty of non-alcoholic drinks available as well. Have plenty of
activities lined up (dancing, movie, scary stories, scary costume fashion
parade, etc.), but avoid drinking games. For more check out the full article in
Strategies for preventing drunk
driving
Hangover helper and tips for healthy drinking also
has great advice; including don’t mix alcohol drinks; have a good meal
beforehand with lots of protein in it; alternate drinking alcohol with water or
juice (but not carbonated drinks as they can speed up effects of alcohol).
There’s plenty more facts and tips in the article; check it out and see what
you think.
For those who are new to
partying and are looking for things to start a conversation with, here’s some
Halloween topics: Did you know there is a gruesome fungus that kills ants then turnsthem in to zombies…
Or, on a more enlightened topic, did you know Edgar Alan Poe visited Scotland
when he was impressionable child
Of course if your looking for weird and dark stories to enjoy please check
out My Books
Have a fun Halloween!
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Found this article useful? You
might also check out:
NB While there is a lot of
fun to being a student, there is no getting away from the fact that sexual
assaults can happen at parties, on campus, anywhere. The latest edition of
Student Health 101 has an article worth reading called 'Profile of a Bystander:
How to prevent sexual assault on campus'. To read it click on Student Health 101
then click the sexual assault link. This article is part of the October issue,
to read it after October just check out the archive. You might also want to
check out Rape and
Alcohol
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For more on how to look good, feel good and be in charge of your
life as a student at NUI Galway check out
Student's Services Health Promotion
life as a student at NUI Galway check out
Student's Services Health Promotion
