Instagram Tiles

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To support the safety messages discussed in DARTA student sessions, information tiles have been developed that are posted to those young people who follow Paul on Instagram. The messages on this series of tiles encourage teens to plan ahead and prepare for the night ahead. They also provide practical strategies that can assist young people to identify warning signs, as well as encourage help seeking behaviour when socialising with their friends.

These tiles are available here, along with the supporting message provided in the accompanying Instagram post. These can be downloaded by teachers and others who work with young people and be used to support the provision of drug education.

Sometimes friends don’t contact their mate’s parents who get into trouble for fear of getting them into trouble. Make sure your friends know that if your life was at risk, you want them to call whoever it takes to help and you’re not worried about getting into trouble!

Drinking even small amounts of water when you’re sick can trigger more vomiting – but rinsing away the foul taste and burning stomach acids that stay in the mouth can make things feel a little better.  Getting them to suck on a clean cloth soaked in cold water means they’re not gulping down water but still able to make their mouth feel a little fresher.

If you’re trying to help a drunk friend or someone you don’t know, always remember your first priority is keeping yourself safe. Drunk people are unpredictable and if things get out of control, call for help.

Alcohol poisoning usually happens when a person drinks a lot, very quickly. Drinking games where people drink ‘too much, too fast’ can be particularly dangerous. If you want to keep a friend safer just say the words – ‘slow down’!

Just because they’re not made in labs doesn’t mean that drugs like cannabis or ‘magic mushrooms’ – substances that occur in nature – are ‘safe’. Things can and do go wrong! If someone uses a drug like this and they’re having a bad time, stay with them and get help if you feel you need to…

When paramedics arrive and ask what happened or what a friend may have taken, remember your answers are confidential. Paramedics need to know what they’re dealing with as quickly as possible. When they don’t have all the info their job is made so much more difficult

When someone is poisoned they need medical help. Using the ‘chair test’ can help you to work out if they need assistance. Can they sit up in the chair and hold their head up? If they can’t, put them into the recovery position and get help. Stay safe!

Never force a drunk friend to drink water. Of course, keep them hydrated but just give them an open bottle of water and say “Drink when you feel like it!” Keep safe and look after your friends

If you’re looking after a drunk friend the ‘chair test’ can help you work out if and when you need to get help. A plastic garden chair works the best – make sure your friend is able to sit upright for themselves and hold their head up. If you are in any doubt or worried in any way – call for help ASAP.

As it starts to cool around the country, it’s great to see everyone still keeping hydrated when playing sports, getting together at parties and events, or even having a big night in with marathon TV binge sessions on the weekends.

Some people believe they’re just vaping a flavour due to wording on the packaging when, in fact, they’re actually vaping the highly addictive drug nicotine. Sadly, it doesn’t take long to become addicted to nicotine – for some people it can take just days! Don’t be fooled by misleading packaging

Leaving someone to ‘sleep it off’ can be extremely dangerous. Make sure they’re sober enough to put to bed and stay with them and monitor them carefully to make sure they’re safe…

Propping someone onto a toilet bowl to be sick when they could fall to sleep or pass out can cause a chipped tooth at the very least and facial injuries and even death in extreme cases. Remember the plastic bucket and a ‘cloud of tissues’ if someone is drunk and vomiting.

To ensure you have the safest night possible it’s important to plan ahead and be prepared. Whatever you’re doing tonight, have a great time and stay safe!

If someone isn’t able to chew and swallow effectively – this could lead to choking …This ‘bread myth’ comes from a seed of truth … If you want to reduce the risk of feeling unwell you need to eat something before you start your night. Remember, a fistful of food is perfect!

No matter what anyone around you says, if you can’t rouse the person you’re looking after and you think they could be unconscious, call for medical assistance immediately. It doesn’t matter what they’ve taken, if you can’t wake them and there’s no response at all, they’re not asleep – call 000!

When a drunk person’s chin hits their chest and you can’t get it back up again by getting their attention – they could be in real trouble! If in doubt, don’t hesitate to call for help. 📱

Giving a plastic bucket to a drunk vomiting person is the best way to go but you want to avoid ‘splashback’. Dropping a ‘cloud of tissues’ in the bottom of the bucket should do the trick. 🪣🧻Whatever you’re doing tonight, look after each other and stay safe!

One of the signs of alcohol poisoning is ‘blue lips.’ This doesn’t mean their lips turn bright blue — it means the redness drains from their lips. If you see this when you’re looking after a drunk friend, get help ASAP!

So many things can cause you to blow over 0.00 even if you haven’t been drinking alcohol. Alcohol debris from food and mouthwash could be detected so have a bottle of water in your car and be sure to rinse it away before you drive.

Schoolies, end of year parties and the holidays can be a lot of fun but it’s still important to remember some simple key messages should things go wrong… A drunk person has to go to bed at some point – but how do you know when it’s safe for them to do so? There are three simple tests they need to pass to ensure they are as safe as possible: 1️⃣ Can they walk? 2️⃣ Can they talk? 3️⃣ Can they answer a question? Even then it’s vital that you stay and monitor them for as long as you can. Keep these three tests in mind, but of course don’t forget your #WaterTime💧 and #FistfulOfFood 🍩 either!

As school holidays approach remember the most important equation you’ll ever learn is this: Unconscious + Drunk = Ambulance. If you ever have the tiniest doubt at the back of your mind that the person you’re looking after could possibly be unconscious, don’t hesitate – call for medical help immediately!

🚑 When you call for an ambulance you don’t have to give your name if you don’t want to. They may ask your name so they can use it when they’re trying to help you or calm you down if you’re upset. If you’re on a mobile they’re likely to also ask for your number so if the call drops out, they can call you back. No matter what information they ask for, remember that all they’re interested in is keeping you and your friends as safe as possible.

Only you can make the decision whether you #vape or not but if you do, it’s important to know what you’re doing and what’s in the device you’re using. Illegal disposable vapes are mass produced and undergo little or no quality control. Take a look inside one of these cheaply made devices and you’ll see they’re not very well made and actually held together by sticky tape! Vaping is not ‘risk-free’ and using these devices increases that risk…

Once you’ve called 000, remember these three things when you’re talking to the operator: · stay calm · you’ll be asked some questions, it’s important to try to answer them the best you can · don’t hang-up unless the operator tells you to, stay on the line so they can help you with advice until the ambulance arrives Calling 000 is never easy but remember, you could be saving someone’s life by making the call

Hypothermia is a medical emergency when your body loses heat faster than it can produce it. If your drunk friend is cold and shivering, place something warm around them, particularly if they’re outdoors. Sometimes the #hypothermia is more serious than the amount of alcohol they have drunk.

Remember, one of the signs of alcohol poisoning is vomiting and not waking up. If a drunk person’s eyes don’t open when they throw up, get help ASAP.

Drunk people can be difficult to deal with, particularly in dangerous places like bathrooms. Splash some cold water onto their face to get their attention but never try to put them into a shower – things can and do go terribly wrong!

Putting someone to bed to ‘sleep it off’ can be very dangerous. But they’ve got to go to bed eventually so when that time comes it’s important to make sure they’re sober enough. They should be able to walk, talk and answer a question. When they do go to bed, make sure they’re put into the recovery position and then monitored carefully.

When you’re looking after a drunk friend you need to know if the person is sleepy or unconscious. The best way to do that is to try to get their attention. Slapping a person is called assault and not the way to go. If there is no response, they could be unconscious – call for help immediately!

Bathrooms are not the place to hang out when you’re drunk – if your friends get in trouble you need to get help. Don’t let your friends hide away, make sure they’re not alone and if you need an ambulance, call one!

Police do not come to an ambulance call unless the paramedics ask them to be there and that’s usually due to another crime such as violence. If you call 000 and ask for an ambulance, that’s what you get – an ambulance!

No matter what anyone tells you – the only thing that can sober someone up is time. Cold showers, forcing them to drink lots of water, feeding them bread, and black coffee won’t work. While they’re drunk, they are at risk – make sure you stay with them at all times and monitor them carefully. Remember, if in doubt, call 000!

Looking after your friends is important but sometimes you have no choice, things have got out of your control and you’re not going to be able to help them by yourself. Sometimes you have to call for assistance and get medical help. Remember, if in doubt, call 000!

This is the most important app you’ll ever put onto your phone. It’s got all the emergency numbers which you push, not dial, as well as the ‘what3words’ feature. By saying the 3 words in the bottom-left of your screen to the operator they’ll know exactly where you are. It’s as accurate as a GPS co-ordinate but much easier to say. Make sure you’ve got it on your phone before you go out tonight.

It’s important you know how to put someone into the recovery position to keep them safe until medical assistance arrives. It’s vital that your friends know as well. If something happened to you, you need to be confident they’d be able to keep you as safe as possible.

Whether you choose to drink alcohol or not, going out on an empty stomach is not a great idea. Your clenched fist is roughly the size of your empty stomach and a ‘fistful of food’ is the perfect amount to eat before you go out just to keep you that little bit safer.

Have you and your friends chosen your ‘designated water person’ for tonight? Whether you choose to drink alcohol or not, they should be the one to remind you the first drink of the night should be “it’s water time!”

To all L and P-plate drivers, remember you must have a 0.00 BAC. It’s the Easter weekend and RBT units will be out in force right across the country. Have a great time with your mates over the holiday but remember it can take a while for you to process alcohol. If you have the slightest doubt that you could be over the limit, it’s just not worth the risk …

To make sure you have the safest night possible it’s important to plan ahead and be prepared. Whatever you’re doing tonight have a great time and stay safe!

No matter what anyone ever tells you, time is the only thing that can sober you up. It’s important that a drunk person is looked after carefully during that time and not left alone, even for a couple of minutes.

You’ve heard this message from me so many times but it’s such an important one – you can look after a sleepy drunk, you can’t look after an unconscious drunk. Even if you have the tiniest doubt at the back of your mind that the person you’re looking after is unconscious, don’t waste any time – call 000 immediately.

Instagram Tiles

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