How to party like an adult this weekend

Piece by: Random Like Arum
Lifestyle

‘Adulting’. A hard word to describe and an easy one to practice when you're an adult.

A couple of years ago, “turn up” meant that I was getting home at 9AM the next morning and still had energy to go party later that same night. “Let’s go hard” my friends and I would say frequently in the past turn up sessions.

Then adulting happened.

See, when you are adulting, you have the responsibility to manage yourself and your energy.

Last Saturday I went to the club and here's what happened.

My destination was a joint in Westlands. Took a cab for obvious reasons because I was very keen to turn up. As soon as I got there, I made sure to stand at the point farthest from the dance floor and from the speaker. It just happened automatically.

Why, you ask? Experience has taught me that too much noise sucks. I can't deal. Besides, sweaty armpits don’t smell nice (someone should start a deodorant shop inside the club already then make it compulsory for bouncers to take a random scent test… okay, okay I’m over-reaching).

The rest of the night, as you can tell, was flat apart from the four beers, one scotch and four bottles of water that I drank so I won't bore you with the rest of the story. (In case you're wondering, I didn't regret taking a cab. He played 'older' music.)

You see, partying when you adult requires some form of adaptation. You somewhat have to think it through your night and have a solid plan. Things you think about include

“What will I be doing tomorrow?”

“How much money do I intend to spend?”

“What time should I be home?”

“Am I driving tonight?”

“How much partying is just enough to not disrupt my early Monday morning energy needs?”

Partying really drains your energy when you're older and what’s worse is the recovery period that it takes to get you back at your peak. For example, I have come to value good quality sleep and have adopted the habit of sleeping a bit earlier so that I am able to wake up early and engage in some morning routines which really serve the purpose of preparing me for a proactive and productive day.

Going to the club takes that away as it interrupts my already established routines. I find that on the day after partying, I’m on full reactive and zombie mode where I’m easily distracted and can’t get much done.

I honestly hate it and feel like shit for it. I see myself in future minimizing the amount of partying I do, even though I quite enjoy doing it at times.

Here are some tips for partying like an adult

  1. Drink loads of water. Partying just like alcohol and sleep significantly contributes to the dehydration process. Go figure. It is important to develop a habit of hydrating especially if you are the kind of person that loves to consume a lot of alcohol.
  2. Dance conservatively. Remember when you were in your early 20s and always danced like you were in an R-n-b video? Stop that immediately unless you want to drain your energy and wake up with muscle aches the next morning
  3. Consider a cab. You can save the energy and concentration required to drive back home. You can finally rest on your way back home without having to worry about the cognitive deficiencies caused by drunk/fatigue driving if you drink too much (three beers is a lot if you're like me ...LOL)
  4. Have fruits and a healthy meal instead of fast foods during the hangover period. It’s very tempting to crave for that juicy steak after a night out. Sure it tastes good, also it significantly depletes your energy levels… it is shit. So yeah, grab that salad and notice how good it feels.
  5. Don’t party with young guys. Younger college going people basically have nothing to lose and since they are mostly free during the week, they can afford to use all their energy at the club. Adulting means that you are not in your early 20s anymore and have to manage yourself and handle stuff Young guys can have you finding yourself in Dubai on a weekend when you are scheduled to chair a meeting on the next Monday morning.

    Avoid young people unless you are aspiring to be that sugar daddy who is seeking energy from them.

Have fun partying like an adult this weekend