Stay safe this holiday season

The Salvation Army is encouraging young people who are completing high school this year to celebrate their achievement in a responsible manner and to not think twice about calling friends, family or emergency services if something goes wrong.

Clinical Director of The Salvation Army Recovery Services, Gerard Byrne, says that excessive drinking can lead to actions you may later regret and that young people can take a number of safety precautions that will help ensure they stay safe during schoolies.

“It’s important to know your limits because heavy drinking and/or drug taking can have far reaching consequences. When people are heavily intoxicated they often say or do things that they wouldn’t normally say nor do. This can bring about unintended negative outcomes” he said.

“Stay with your friends. You and your group of friends can look after one another. If you or your friends are in trouble, contact your family, The Salvation Army or the emergency services. All of us are there to help.”

Each year, Salvation Army volunteers assist Red Frogs, one of the nation’s largest schoolies support services. Since 1997, Red Frogs has kept young people safe at schoolies by serving teenagers’ food, walking them home and being a point of referral to professional services for young people in trouble.

Mr Byrne says that parents also need to have open dialogue with their children around drug use and that safety must always be the number one priority in these discussions.

“If parents have an honest and judgement free conversation with the young people in their family around drug use they will be far more receptive and open about what is going on in their lives.”

The Salvation Army encourages young people who are in trouble at schoolies to contact, in the case of an emergency 000 or The Salvation Army’s Red Frogs - Gold Cost: 07 5532 0717, Byron Bay: 1300 557 123