Apparently, Australians love taking drugs. In 2014, The United Nations World Drug Report ranked Australians among the world’s highest percentage of recreational drug users. We came first globally for our ecstasy use, third for our methamphetamine intake, and fourth for our cocaine habits. The 2013 National Drug Strategy Household Survey found that 8 million, or a whopping 42 per cent, of Australians over the age of 14 had illicitly used drugs. “Yikes,” said the government, “yow,” said the UN, and “yippee!” said everyone having a great high.

Let’s be honest: people may take drugs for various reasons, but mostly they do it for fun. It’s a home truth that often seems to be discarded in the dialogue. Hijacked spoke to several students and recreational drug takers, and they all stated pleasure as their main reason for popping those pills or snorting that score.

Simply not taking drugs is always going to be the safest option, but if abstinence ain’t your thing, here are six tips to keeping your recreational drug use as safe as possible. Everyone knows that if you want to take drugs, it’s much classier to do so responsibly.

Know thy drug

This tip is especially important if it’s your first time trying a new drug. Know what you’re taking and what to expect. Understanding the effects of the drug and how long they should last is going to help you stay safe. Check your facts before your high.

You’ll find info all over the net, but Bluelight works as a kind of Wikipedia for drugs. Also offering a full run down is the government-run website Drug Aware.

Otherwise if you’re about to drop a pill, you can look it up here at Pill Reports.

Whether you’re a drug-taking newbie or an old hand, it’s always a good idea to limit your dosage at the start. Take a little, see how you feel and proceed from there. This will help you understand your own limits, and limits are your friends.

Be selective about where you get high and who you do it with

When taking drugs, you definitely want to implement a no jerks policy. Don’t get high with people you don’t trust – it’s just weird and can very quickly lead to trouble.

If you’ve taken something that releases endorphins, you’ll be feeling pretty loved up, and wanting to direct that toward the right people. But if you’re on psychedelics, you’ll probably need to feel safe. Taking drugs is a risk; to mitigate that, you need to be surrounded by people who will look after you in a setting that makes you feel comfortable.

Drink that H2O

You might think that keeping hydrated is a no brainer, and that’s because it is. Keep your sugars up: Powerade, much like limits, is your friend.

And make sure to watch your alcohol intake. As one user told me, “I drink a lot more if I’m using speed or cocaine. I guess that’s because I can drink and still be switched on. I could have two bottles of wine and you wouldn’t know I was drunk.”

Mixing drugs greatly increases your risk of overdosing, so it’s probably best to avoid doing so. Have some water instead, but make sure to watch your intake – overhydrating can lead to death.

If you get into trouble, don’t hesitate to call an ambulance or go to the hospital. I’m not even joking. If you think you need to get help, you probably do. If someone experiences convulsions, collapses or is just plain confused, it’s probably time to get some professional help. Ring an ambulance immediately. The ambos won’t call the police, but they may just save your friend’s life.

Manage your comedown

Eat a nutritious meal before you get high and then drink plenty of O.J after. Comedowns are an unavoidable repercussion, and you’re going to feel gross, tired and potentially very sad. Grab some mates, some comfort food and an easy film, and try to chill. A swim or some sun can also help. If the comedown gets serious, you might want to call an organisation such as Beyond Blue for some professional advice.

Avoid death at all costs

Know the symptoms of overdosing before you take drugs so you can recognise them. Don’t drive a car, operate heavy machinery, have unprotected sex or decide to do anything foolish. Don’t jump off or climb up anything, or go swimming. Always keep yourself safe and also look out for the people around you.

Disclaimer: Cait Kelly is not a doctor and this is in no way professional advice.

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Cait Kelly studies Journalism at La Trobe University.

(Lead image: Rev. Xanatos Satanicos Bombasticos, Flickr Creative Commons license)