1. Get lots of rest… Before and after partying.
You’ll be exerting your body physically by staying awake longer than normal, probably not eating so well, dancing all night and if your slutting it up and having lots of sex! These physical strains can also impact your emotional and mental states. Lots of rest before and after will help your body prepare and repair.

2. Eat well… Before and after going out.
All that dancing and/or sex means you’re using energy. Your body needs fuel to keep it going. You may not feel hungry throughout the weekend but you still need to eat. Try protein shakes, smoothies and fruit and eat small amounts regularly if you don’t feel like a proper meal. Straining your body will also strain your immune system so you need to give that a boost… make sure you eat your fruits and veggies, maybe take a multivitamin each day too.

3. Party with friends.
Let them know what you have taken… Sometimes we take too much or mix the wrong drugs. You probably don’t want to scare your friends so let them know what your doing in case there’s a problem. And look out for each other! It really sucks when someone gets too messy and you have to baby-sit, but a ruined night is far better than someone ending up really sick or injured. There will always be other nights to party…

4. Drink fluids. Sport drinks are best… Small sips and about a bottle an hour.
You need to keep hydrated. Dancing all night in hot clubs, hot and sweaty sex, or even just running around in the sun will dehydrate you. Not only are you losing fluids but electrolytes too. Water is good; sports drink (e.g., Gatorade and Powerade) are even better. One way to check how hydrated you are, is to check how often you’re peeing and water colour your piss is. If it’s clear in colour then you’re likely OK. If it’s darker or more yellow then you should probably drink a bit more. If you’re pissing every 15 minutes then you could probably drink a little less. Alcohol dehydrates you even more, so if you are boozing it up, make sure you’re drinking water as well.

5. Watch your drink at all times. Is that just water in your bottle?
It happens… Occasionally people get their drinks spiked or you pick up someone’s G instead of your water. Be safe - get your own drinks and always hold on to your own. Toronto has a weird by-law that says you can’t take alcohol into the bathrooms… If you have to go, leave your drink with a friend you trust and ask them to hold it – not watch it – but hold it. If you’re drinking from a bottle, maybe you can slip in you pocket and sneak it in to the bathroom with you – just wait ‘til you’re back on the dance floor to drink it!

6. Protect your hearing. Foam earplugs are cheap and effective!
The sound systems in clubs and at parties are often loud enough to do damage our hearing. Some can be as loud as 115 decibels or more! That ringing you might have had when you get home is a sign that the music was too loud and that your ears are hurting. The closer you are to the speakers and the longer you are on the dance floor, the more damage you can do. People screaming at you on the dance floor isn’t a good thing either… Ever felt that tickle or fuzzy feeling in your ear when someone is trying to tell you something. Foam earplugs can lower the sound by 20-30 decibels. Get a pair and use them!

7. Stretch your muscles… Dancing is, after all, exercise.
Dehydration and working your body all night can lead to cramps or muscle spasms. If you’re high, certain drugs can also mask pain. Stretching your muscles not only feels great but will also make it less likely that you’ll pull or strain a muscle and be hurting the next day.

8. Accept your come down… chill out with friends.
When we start coming down we may be tempted to keep the party going and fight off those feelings. We may use more drugs to do this. But remember, the more drugs you do at one time and the longer your party in a session, the harder your comedown will likely be. There will always be other nights to do it up again! So maybe it’s best to face it… You had a good night but it’s done. Save your brain and body for the next time!

When chilling out, this is the time to bond with friends and partners, get some sleep and replenish your body with good food and fluids. You’ve hopefully had a good night or two of letting loose… The fun little fantasy world that we enter when we get out partying can sometimes make “real life” seem plain and boring… That alone can make us feel down after a party. If you’ve been using drugs, these will have changed the chemistry of your brain, which can add to feeling blue or being depressed. Sometimes we might feel shitty for a day or two after a weekend of partying. You even hear of people talking about the “Mundane Mondays” or the “Terrible Tuesdays”. Remember, this is your come down… It’s not you and these feeling should pass as your brain and body repair themselves. If you find the comedowns are too unpleasant, or are getting worse, or lasting longer, consider cutting back on your partying. If the feelings persist, maybe have a chat with a doctor.

9. Keep condoms and lube with you. You never know when you’ll wanna get it on!
 When you are high you may make different choices about the types of sex you want to have or who you’ll do it with! You may not even be planning to get with someone but stay prepared just in case!

10. Party drugs are illegal.
Possession can result in fines, jail terms and criminal records. Getting drugs for your friends can even be considered trafficking. Be careful what you do and be extra cautious when hooking up strangers… no matter how friendly or hot they are better to point them in the right direction rather than make a deal for them… you never know who the person really is and once in a while the police will be there, partying undercover with us!

11. Keep a balanced life… partying is fun but don’t let it consume you.
We need to work but we need to play too; getting out to party is great way to loose some stress, make new friends, or find someone to shag! But if going out is getting in the way of work, or you’re loosing touch with friends and family, the come downs are rougher or longer, or maybe that bank balance isn’t as healthy as it once was, think about cutting out the odd party.

12. Have fun! Find other things to do if partying has just become routine.
Many of us get find a real sense of fun, excitement and even community when we get out partying. And the more we go out, the more we discover about other nights, different DJs, different scenes and different drugs. We can be tempted to try it all. Some of us don’t want to miss out on the next best thing. But there can come a point when it all gets too much, it interferes with other important parts of our lives or it simply becomes routine and boring. It can seem like we always see the same people, hear the same music, don’t get as excited or don’t enjoy the highs anymore. If this is the case, perhaps you want to space out the parties... making them less regular can mean that when you do go out, the parties are more of an event. There are other things we can get out to… volunteer with different groups, join a sports club or get to the gym. The gay scene can become very centered around bars, clubs and drugs, but there is so much more out there. Enjoy the partying! Get what you can out of it. It is fun and can be healthy… Just keep it all in check!