How To #10: How To Do House Parties

House parties have become a sort of rite of passage for young adults, where the drink is flowing, people are single and ready to mingle, and someone usually ends up face down in a bush. I generally prefer house parties as unlike large venues where there is certain etiquette, the only rule at house parties is to get as drunk as possible. This also means that it is easy for things to get out of control, so whether you are attending or hosting a house party, here are my tips for having a wild night rather than a full blown riot.  

1.       Chill Out- this mainly applies to those hosting the party. You can’t be too uptight if you want to be a good host, or indeed, hostess. You can pretty much guarantee that your house will not be in the same state you left it- expect at least small volumes of vomit, broken glasses, drinks spillages and your Mum’s ornament being replaced with a bottle of Bulmers Cider. If you really are a neat freak, and god forbid, own a cream carpet, I’d suggest laying down plastic sheeting or, better yet, hosting the party outside if you have big enough garden space.

 

2.       Don’t just stand there- House parties, by their very intimate nature, are intended to encourage mingling and socialising. So as much as you would like to stand by the doritos all night, you simply cannot.

 

 

3.       Know your limits- not to sound like a party pooper but the last thing you want to end up as is that person who vommed all over the walls. Stay away from the hard stuff, particularly vodka as it is easy to drink too much of it. Wine may seem innocent but a large glass contains 3 units on average. Unless there is some kind of contest, there is also no need to get off your face within the first hour- pace yourself- if necessary, drink water regularly in between your boozing and avoid mixing alcohol with fizzy drinks such as coca cola, as they speed up the absorption of alcohol into your system. 

 

4.       Parents or no parents?- It really doesn’t depend on your preference, or should I say, your parents’ preference. In my experience, having the whole family around means people are much less willing to go crazy. However, a little parental supervision here and there won’t stop a good party- although it will if someone throws up in your Mum’s wardrobe.

 

 

5.       He’s cute, should I get off with him? God no, beer goggles are a genuine thing- although he may look like Zac Efron now, he’ll look like Mr Bean when the pictures emerge on Facebook in the morning, trust me.

 

6.       Hangovers aren’t that bad are they? Depending on how much you’ve had to drink, yes they can be a bitch. No one wants to admit they threw up in the sink.  Keep yourself hydrated and cool, and if possible, remain in bed all day with the curtains firmly shut. Also a good tip is to take a pain killer before you go to bed (though make sure you are supervised.) See tomorrow’s blogs for more handy hangover tips.

 

 

7.       Can I be sober and still have fun? Of course, if anything you’ll have even more fun observing all the drunk people, whose antics will keep you entertained for hours.

 

8.       The Morning After: Try to avoid social media from the risk of seeing somewhat embarrassing photos of you from the night before. If you were hosting the party, get downstairs early, make yourself a cuppa, and decide how the hell you are going to get this mess cleaned up before your parents wake up.

 

Happy house partying,

Love Georgia x