{"id":28218,"date":"2025-05-28T16:33:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T08:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=oasis-news&#038;p=28218"},"modified":"2025-05-29T20:09:43","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T12:09:43","slug":"sip-safe-abroad","status":"publish","type":"oasis-news","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/oasis-news\/sip-safe-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"Sip Safe Abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>Reading time: 3 minutes<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Studying or travelling overseas can be an incredible experience &#8211; new cultures, new people and new places to explore. But while you&#8217;re out making memories, it&#8217;s important to stay safe, especially when it comes to drinking alcohol. A good night out shouldn\u2019t turn into a medical emergency or worse. Here\u2019s what you need to know to sip safe abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Methanol poisoning is real. And deadly.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>In some parts of the world, alcohol production isn\u2019t as tightly regulated as it is in Australia. That means harmful substances like methanol, a toxic form of alcohol, can end up in your drink. Just one shot of methanol can be fatal. Australians have died or become seriously ill from methanol poisoning in popular travel spots across Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Contaminated drinks often come in the form of home-brewed spirits, cocktails or suspiciously cheap \u201cbrand-name\u201d bottles. Labels can be fake, and cheap doesn\u2019t always mean lucky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you feel fatigued, dizzy or experience blurred vision or nausea after a night out drinking, don\u2019t brush it off as just a rough hangover \u2014 it could be methanol poisoning. These symptoms usually worsen over time. Get medical help immediately if something doesn\u2019t feel right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To reduce the risk:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Choose sealed pre-mixed drinks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoid homemade or unlabelled spirits<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Be cautious with cocktails<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stick to reputable venues &#8211; but remember, no place is 100% risk-free<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Watch out for drink spiking<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Spiking doesn\u2019t just happen in movies. It happens to real people, in real places \u2014 and the outcomes can be devastating. Spiking involves adding alcohol or drugs to someone\u2019s drink without their knowledge or consent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To protect yourself and your mates:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Watch your drink at all times.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Only accept drinks you\u2019ve seen poured \u2014 don\u2019t let someone \u201csurprise\u201d you with a shot.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Never leave your drink unattended.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Don\u2019t accept drinks from strangers \u2014 it\u2019s not rude, it\u2019s smart.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Know the symptoms of being spiked: confusion, nausea, drowsiness and memory loss.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If in doubt, ditch the drink.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>And most importantly \u2014 <em>don\u2019t be the one who spikes a drink.<\/em> Adding more alcohol to your friend\u2019s glass when they\u2019re not looking isn\u2019t funny or generous. It\u2019s reckless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Plan how you\u2019re getting home<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Late-night transport in unfamiliar places can be risky. Before heading out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Decide how you\u2019re getting there and back<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Check public transport schedules<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If using taxis or rideshares, choose well-known services<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoid overcrowded or sketchy-looking transport<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Steer clear of ferries or boats after dark<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Stick together<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s easy to get separated in a crowded bar or street festival. But getting lost in an unfamiliar city, especially while under the influence, can be dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Keep each other\u2019s phone numbers saved<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Know where your friends are<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Share your accommodation info<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Set check-in times if you split up<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Don\u2019t leave a drunk mate alone \u2014 especially if they\u2019re vulnerable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A night out should be fun, not fatal. Stay sharp, look after each other and if something feels off, trust your gut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stay vigilant and always check <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smartraveller.gov.au\">Smartraveller.gov.au<\/a> for the latest updates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Plan to sip safely on your trip abroad. | Reading time: 3 mins<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4418,"featured_media":28219,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"5331,4754,5022,7766,6228,4564","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","wds_primary_oasis-categories":0,"footnotes":""},"oasis-categories":[137,149],"class_list":["post-28218","oasis-news","type-oasis-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","oasis-categories-important","oasis-categories-wellbeing"],"acf":{"post_options":{"":null,"banner":{"image":false}}},"featured_image":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AdobeStock_137068505-1000x500.jpg","author_meta":{"first_name":"Rachelle","last_name":"Erzay","display_name":"Rachelle Erzay"},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-11 23:11:10","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"oasis-categories","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-news\/28218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oasis-news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-news\/28218\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"oasis-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-categories?post=28218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}