To plan on getting quite drunk at my work Christmas party?

My workmates are very, very much my friends. And why would you need to get home sober?

Everyone is different but I don't think someone having more than one drink on a night out is going to be a huge deal for most.

I had a beer, or a glass of wine at work events, and then sparkling water. When people were starting to get tipsy, I left. Your workmates aren’t your friends. Plus you need to get home sober.

I would get drunk... but then I'm a chatty, friendly drunk and tend not to fight/say or do inappropriate things. I'm never sick etc. Some of my friendships have come from a work night out and lowering inhibitions a bit!

If you know you could get yourself in trouble though, then don't! Limit yourself a bit. But I come from professions where people like to drink (ex military, finance), so there's no pearl clutching and everyone has a laugh.

Have a great time and a few drinks, but don't get pissed and ruin it for yourself. There's merry and then there's the next level. Nobody wants to deal with crying/puking/nasty/incontinent colleagues at a Christmas party (and yes, I've had to deal with someone who pissed themselves and was unable to get herself home).
There's a happy medium.

You’ll regret it!
I work in the NHS and it was my first time out with them all, despite being here for a while. I ended up really embarrassing myself and didn’t remember getting home. I was so worried about coming back to work after the weekend!

My advice would be to enjoy yourself at the party but not get yourself to the point that you won't remember anything that happens during the party or that you'll make yourself sick or say something you aught not to.

So - perhaps have drinks to the point that you're merry, but not till you're piddlyeyed drunk.

I work in a multi disciplinary team that includes nurses, OTs and physiotherapists etc. People get wild.

So having had a quick read it seems like these were both extreme examples and both werec parties paid for by the workplace
Whereas ime at least all the Xmas parties i attended were paid for by the colleagues themselves and well away from the workplace.

@OohRains I’m ADHD too 😆🙌🏼. I think the NHS definitely attracts us

@NerrSnerr best of luck!

Definitely get hammered. You only live once after all and we all deserve some fun.

It's a bonding experience too. You can nurse your hangovers together.

Yaaaas, it's the best, fast turnovers (or not quite so fast due to waiting for inpatient beds) just make sense to those ADHD brains!

I've got shitfaced at plenty of work parties and never regretted it. But I wasn't ever 'the worst', never did anything truly embarrassing.

Now I'm too old I kinda miss it. Going with the intention of getting drunk is fine, that was my modus operandi all through my 20s, because I enjoyed it.

I guess I'd just take my clues from others as the one thing I would advise is don't assume everyone is the same level as you - often there's a range at these things and it's really easy to think everyone is as drunk as you are.

@OohRains @xigris I'm about to start a new job in a&e. Looking forward to the ride!

Indeed! I know a few marriages that went down the pan after Christmas party goings on got back to the other half.

OP. It's your choice, but it's not obligatory to get trollied.

I have been a nurse for about 25 years. Now I'm in my 40s I don't get drunk (I don't drink at all) but when I was on the wards and early community jobs I would get drunk on nights out as would many, many of my colleagues. No one ever cared.

Working on a ward is so different to other jobs, it's hard to understand when in an office job. You go through a lot together and there's something about spending nights, weekends etc with folk on such a regular basis.

If you want to drink, the drink. Many others will be. Obviously try not to be the most drunk and do daft things but the culture in nursing is definitely work hard- play hard.

Then straight onto a club at the end until closing, ED nights out are not for the faint hearted

This thread is hilarious 😂

Have a great time OP! 💃Remember to really savour that one small drink...

Westlake v ZSL London Zoo and Bellman v Northampton Recruitment are two examples of how pear-shaped things can go when things get out of hand at works Christmas dos.

Yes and much more ime.

Do people (who aren't dating each other) snog at work parties

As someone with a fair amount of experience in office parties the best advice I can give is just don't be the most drunk there. Everyone always remembers that person but not so much the others.

Why would you want to poison yourself with so much alcohol? Just because it's legal ...doesn't mean it's good for you.

Exactly i qualified as an RMN at 22 i was in charge of acute mental health ward straight in at the deep end.

Oh my God, @OohRains I’m not sure I’d even survive an ED Christmas party! I had to nip down there the other day and it’s wild. I think the new national uniform people should have put ED staff in camo….

You've gotta go into these things with a plan. The aim is jovial, fun and chatty without being slaughtered and embarrassing. At my recent works do I had a decent meal before going out, drank a whole litre of water, then chose one drink and stuck to that for the night (reasonably low percentage lager). Consider taking cash with you rather than a card so you can't overspend on tons of drinks. Don't mix drinks. Alternate with a few waters. Leave when everyone is on a high and feeling good, before any drunken dramas start.