These are the signs that you need to stop partying

Semester one is now well and truly underway, but it's pretty easy to be in denial about it: this time of year is great for live events and nightlife in most cities, and for the modern Australian student there might still be a fair deal of discounted partying going on. Luckily, there are a few ways to tell that you need to step back and rejuve. I'm not suggesting you turn to a life of abstinence, but the occasional recovery break can do wonders.

Your teeth are starting to get kind of shoddy 

Whether it's one too many sugary premixes, overgrinding your molars on the dancefloor, or your daily coffee and cigarette wake-up routine, a good indication that you should rest up for a month is unexplained sensitive teeth. Intoxicants combined with physical exertion lead to all kinds of reactions in your body, and that weird taste in your mouth lately is probably a pasty build-up of excessive consumption. Give your mouth bones time to recover, and for toothpaste to do its actual job.

You're getting sick every fortnight 

Also indicative of excessive consumption is a suppressed immune system, and it's obvious why you want to avoid that one. Assuming you're taking on part-time work, study and a social life all at once, you've probably realised by now that you don't have a whole lot of time to get sick. If you're still feeling kind of sniffly from the cold you caught after last weekend right before the next one starts, maybe assign yourself the role of designated driver. Whatever you do, don't go and stand right in the middle of that humid, busy dancefloor.

You aren't remembering anything in class 

Long-term memory is a really impressive thing. It's crazy how the tiniest hints of smell, sound or light can suddenly take us back through our lives to a time when we were entirely different people. So, that's neat. What's less impressive is short-term memory – it's pretty temperamental. The thing about short-term memory is that it's really easy to screw it up in the, well, short-term. We all know that alcohol is only just the start of it, but there's proof out there to suggest a night on the vodka can throw your thinking cap off balance for at least a week. So, do that three weekends in a row, and you might want to double-check how your note-taking skills have fared over that time. Drop in quality? Drop the problem.

People start faking amazement when you stay sober 

This is one of the staple interactions between your uni-aged mates. "Jeez, [insert your name here], what do you mean you're drinking water tonight? [CUE SQUAD LAUGHTER]." This is funny the first three times it happens to you, but then after that, it can start to make you think a little. There's a fine line between drunken boozy stories you can be proud about and drunken boozy stories that your friends laugh along with while secretly thinking to themselves, ”Slow down, mate.” Self-awareness in moderation never hurt anybody.

Your tolerance is through the roof

Realistically, it's probably not until you hit this one that you finally decide to take a break off for a few weekends – most likely because it's now getting too expensive to drink. Not that long ago you were able to knock back half a bottle of wine and have a great night. Now, you need a whole one. Keep it up, and it won't be long before two bottles of wine is your standard bring-along. Both your wallet and liver end up in tears. Know your limits! 

Jonathon Davidson

Jonathon is studying journalism at Murdoch University in Perth.

Image: CJ, Flickr Creative Commons license