Beach trips, not hospital visits this Schoolies Week

Townsville Hospital and Health Service’s top doctor is encouraging school leavers to have fun and make sensible decisions as Schoolies Week kicks off in Queensland this weekend.

Chief medical officer Dr Niall Small said teens celebrating the end of school should approach their celebrations with the same kind of preparation they did with their exams.

“School leavers have absolutely earned the right to celebrate with friends and have some fun,” he said.

“Plan your night and make the right choices that won’t see you ending up in hospital or police custody because of some schoolies misadventure,” he said.

Dr Small said alcohol-fuelled violence and risky behaviour could have devastating and life-changing consequences for young people.

“One-punch assaults, car crashes from drink driving, falls from heights, and drownings are all examples of avoidable incidents that can have long-lasting consequences and even result in death,” he said.

“That’s not the way to remember the end of school.”

Dr Small also encouraged schoolies to look out for their mates in the event something did go awry.

“Keep an eye on your mates for things like drowsiness, strange or unusual behaviour, seizures,
unconsciousness or being unable to walk or stand. These are all signs of alcohol excess or the impact of drugs,” he said.

“If you see someone in this sort of situation, call for help. No-one will get into trouble for calling for help.

“Think of how you’d feel if you didn’t call for help and some terrible happened.”

Practising safe sex was also something Dr Small wanted school leavers to keep in mind.

“Unprotected sex exposes you to the risk of infections with sometimes life-long consequences,” he said.

“Keeping a condom handy and practising safe sex can help prevent sexually transmitted infections as well as unplanned pregnancies.

“Most of all, have fun. Don’t feel pressured into drinking excessively or taking drugs, look out for yourself and your mates and call triple zero if something does go wrong.”