Alcohol & Other Drugs

• Pace yourself – go slow and stay low with alcohol and other drugs.
• After a year of no festivals and a lengthy break from partying, it’s even more important to pace yourself and be aware that your tolerance levels may have greatly reduced.
• Try to avoid getting too intoxicated in unfamiliar situations. You can lose control, make risky decisions and become less aware of danger.
• Alcohol and other drugs can impair your judgement; don’t feel pressured into doing anything you aren’t comfortable with.
• If you are having a bad time or struggling but don’t feel you need medical attention, visit the welfare team. Find out where they are located when you arrive and feel confident about accessing this service, you won’t get into trouble.
• If someone becomes unconscious or unresponsive, put them in the recovery position (on their side) and seek immediate medical attention by alerting a steward or member of event staff.
• Always be honest with medics and welfare teams about what you have consumed so that they know how best to help you.

• Alternate alcoholic drinks with soft drinks. Tipsy is more fun than blind drunk and vomiting!
• If you are drinking from early in the day, try to stick to drinks with a lower ABV for example lager rather than spirits.
• Alcohol is the most common substance used to spike drinks. Never leave drinks unattended and don’t accept a drink from someone you don’t know.
• Alcohol can take a long time to leave your system. If you are the designated driver you will need to be fit to drive before hitting the road.

All drugs are potentially dangerous; there are no harmless drugs. The only way to avoid risks is not to take drugs at all. This goes for new psychoactive substances (formerly known as ‘legal highs’) as well. If you choose to take drugs, you can take the steps below, to help reduce potential harm: 

• Remember that illegal drugs can vary in strength and purity. Unless drugs have been tested, you can never know exactly what is in them or how strong they are.
• Before taking drugs, consider your environment and how you might feel when intoxicated there.
• Be open with your friends if you are taking drugs and look after each other. If anyone feels unwell encourage them to seek medical attention or visit the welfare team.
• Remember that tolerance levels can vary. You may not have the same tolerance level as your friends so always go slow and stay low.
• Beware of mixing different substances and/or alcohol. For example alcohol and ketamine can be a potentially lethal combination.
• If someone is taking ecstasy/MDMA and is dancing, they should drink about a pint of water per hour to avoid dehydration, but be careful not to drink too much. Some people have suffered problems from drinking too much water when taking ecstasy.
• If someone is taking MDMA in crystal form, they should #CrushDabWait. Crush up crystals into a fine powder, lick a finger tip and dab the powder to consume a small amount. Then wait 1-2 hours for the effects of that dose before considering taking another.
• In recent years, there have been a number of deaths related to very high strength ecstasy pills. As with all drugs, if taking ecstasy you should start low and go slow. Take a quarter and wait for this to take effect before having any more.

Please note: If you or a friend appear to feel unwell, visit our onsite Welfare team, and one of our team of trained professionals will provide the care and assistance you need. Our Welfare Team are located in both the main arena and campsites.