‘The Three Rules¹ of Drinking’

Drinking should be fun, it helps people to relax and serves as a social lubricant to help people bond. However, with the changes that alcohol makes to your mind, having a set of rules — that everyone understands — is a way to ensure that the fun of drinking is not diminished, the event is inclusive, and people feel safe and are actually safe.

Let this be clear — it is not about encouraging or drinking to excess, it is about how to ensure that everyone has a positive time whilst drinking.

Photo by Eaters Collective on Unsplash

TL;DR²

The three rules are very simple:

1. “When someone offers you a drink, kindly accept.”
2. “If some one wants to leave, confirm it with them, not once, not twice, but three times, and then ensure that they have a plan to get home safely”
3. The third, and in my view, the most important rule… “Everything said whilst drinking is only pencilled in… unless confirmed the next day.”

The Effects of Alcohol

Without going in to the health effects that alcohol can have on your body… looking at how alcohol is known to change your behaviour; through lowering you inhibitions, reducing mental acuity to make smart decisions, and increasing testosterone levels (in all genders) which can heighten agressive tendencies.