Are you Partying Too Much?

Stop Partying

Stephen Gately choked on his vomit after an eight-hour booze fest which resulted to his death.

Chris Brown has been spotted time and time again brawling with someone in, outside, and around bars (more recently, he’s been caught hitting his girl, R&B superstar- Rihanna) which ultimately put him into musical hiatus, or a possible career dead-end.

And who can forget La Lo, otherwise known as the has-been actress known as Lindsay Lohan? This modern screen goddess was a site to behold, and a true silver-screen chameleon, but she was dropped from several contracts because of drunk-driving and alleged unprofessional behavior brought about by too much partying.

River phoenix was a popular young actor, who seemed to have the world at his feet; he was young, attractive, and was a really affective actor. He dropped dead on Halloween night, 1993, after partying at the (Johnny Depp-owned) Viper Room.

Kate Moss was dropped as the face of Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel because of partying too much in 2004, after two years of endorsing the brand.

Even America’s former sweetheart, Britney Spears, lost her right to visit her children after a judge allegedly deemed her unfit, because she was boozing up too much.

How Much Partying is Too Much Partying?

Pop culture has been giving us examples of the damages of partying. The damages partying can bring has been plastered on the boob tube; been the topic of every other blog site; and been the object of scrutiny on almost every newspaper column. The funny thing is, we all find it amusing that these celebrities have lives that aren’t running as smoothly as ours. Sure, they have fame and fortune, but they still look gross, throwing up on the streets (or worse, for Gately’s case, in his mouth). But have we really taken time out to truly look at ourselves?

The recent media focus on partying has made me ask myself: how much partying is too much partying?

The answer to this is obviously relative. I can not tell you when you have partied too much; there is no standard measure for being a party loser (yes kids, too much partying doesn’t make you cool, it makes you look like a loser, so spare yourselves). Fortunately, you still have your friends and family who can help you with stuff. Yes, they can’t actually tell you how and when to stop (because only you can do that), but they can nudge you to the right direction.

If you really think about it, detecting if you are soiree-hopping too much is easy. You just have to gauge the Pros and the Cons.

Does partying vie you connections to people you need to know? Does partying stain your reputation? Does partying improve your lifestyle? Do you party to relieve stress, or does partying seem like a routine now? Do you still look forward to partying, or has it started to feel like a weekly task? Do you waste most of your hard-earned cash on partying? Has your partying destroyed important relationships in your life?

There are some questions only you can answer, and more importantly, there are some questions, only you can ask yourself. The real problem is: are you willing to ask them?

Your Choice

Ultimately, partying is a choice; it is your choice. You can choose to isolate your party life to weekend night-outs; or you could choose to party everyday, starting at 4PM. You can choose to sit quietly while inside a bar, sipping on some iced tea, or you could ask the bartender to pour that bottle of Tequila straight to your mouth, instead of the glass. You could always choose to spend your Sunday mornings staying at home, channel surfing while munching on popcorn; or you could just be finishing up your last round of booze.

What I’m saying is simple: only you can decide how much partying is too much partying, for yourself. Only you can tell when enough is enough for you; only you can draw the line, or create the boundary of what is considered “over-doing” it. And although it is exciting to think that your party appetite is insatiable and, it is easy to get caught up in the rush that partying can bring; the truth remains that you have to stop sometime.

Confession:

Sometimes, we have to face the fact that we are just afraid of staying home and doing nothing during weekends, because we are scared to sit with ourselves and actually face our problems.

Partying serves as the perfect distraction from all our pains, problems, and insecurities, and although partying doesn’t solve them, it gives us a reason not think about them, and the scary realizations they may bring.

Yes, it is a little known fact, but it is true nonetheless: clubs are filled with loneliest people in the world, trying to be happy… even rich and famous celebrities.