By Benson Ang

TAKE about 25,000 people. Put them in a party environment with free-flowing booze and loud music.

Some are bound to get drunk out of their heads and throw up or even pass out. Others may lose their inhibitions and start doing things they may not do when sober.

But ZoukOut happens only once a year, so why not let the revellers let their hair down and have their fun?

As Zack Sam, 28, a sales consultant who was at the Sentosa bash on Saturday night, said: 'Drunk people are quite common in the clubbing culture. It's once a year, so I guess it's okay.'

Another ZoukOut attendee, Mr Darius Loh, 20, a full-time national serviceman, said: 'I think seeing drunk people is part of the clubbing experience.'

But teen counsellors and parents whom The New Paper spoke to feel that partygoers can have their fun without having to get so sloshed.

The counsellors, especially, were concerned about teen drinking being on the rise. However, ZoukOut has a minimum-age limit of 18, so young teens would be barred.

Said Ms Sheena Jebal, founder of the Nulife Care and Counselling Services: 'It's not the fault of the entertainment venue.

'I think there's a need to better educate the youth on how they should conduct themselves when they are intoxicated.

'They should have their own boundaries, and be responsible enough to dress up well for a party, and go home with dignity and pride.'

Dignity was the furthest thing from the clouded minds of those who were passed out drunk, lying in the middle of all the action at ZoukOut.

Some, like the girl pictured on the front page, were lucky to have caring friends. The New Paper spotted her at 10.30pm lying face-down on the concrete road near the beach.

Her two male friends used her handbag as a pillow to support her head and were contemplating how they could help her.

They tried to get her on her feet a few times, but she couldn't stand up and fell limp in their arms. So they moved her to a nearby patch of sand and let her drink from a water bottle.

When approached, one of her friends, who gave his name only as Mr J Low, 21, said: 'She had too much to drink, but we're taking care of her. I think this is her first time here.'

As he tried to find a plastic bag to place her vomit-stained jacket, he admitted that he was 'just a little drunk'.

But other drunks did not have such good friends. Several of them were spotted alone, passed out, with no friends in sight. Some were sprawled across the sand, or curled up in a foetal position.

As the night wore on, more 'couples' could be seen locking lips, their arms around each other in full public view, with some doing more than just hugging.

One Caucasian man was lying face up on the sand, with an Asian-looking woman sitting on top of him. They were having a moment so passionate that the bright flashes from a nearby photographer's camera did not distract them.

She continued to grind her body close to his, while his feet tapped to the thumping music.

A man was also seen with a bandage around his head, and patches of blood on his shirt. He was walking drunkenly out of the exit with two escorts, although the standby ambulances did not seem to have been activated.

Vomit was a common sight, as some partygoers threw up next to trees and in the sand. The concrete pavement near the toilets were also stained with vomit.

When the toilet queue became too long, some male revellers decided to urinate into the sand, just next to other partygoers who seemed oblivious, because they were either passed out or sleeping.

Negative influence

The mother of a 13-year-old son, housewife Angela Tan, felt such big parties are a negative influence.

'I don't think that 18-year-olds who haven't been through the army are mature enough to be able to handle the dangers of alcohol,' said Madam Tan, who's in her 40s.

'Some of them are still schooling. I fear they may be hooked to the partying culture, which can influence their studies.

'Alcohol can cloud their judgement. I'm just worried that in their drunkenness, they might do something they will regret the next day.'

Housewife Sally Woi, 39, who has two children, aged 14 and 10, was more tolerant.

'It's only once a year, so I guess we can close one eye. We can't control them all the time anyway,' she said.

'But when my children are old enough to go for such events, I would advise them to take care of themselves, and not be too 'havoc'.

'I won't want them to be vomiting and collapsing all over the place. That's too much, and it's not the point of the party.'

Ms Jebal said she has seen cases where teenagers get into fights after excessive drinking.

She also blames peer pressure for over-drinking. Some know that they cannot hold their drink, but keep drinking because they feel they have to keep up with everyone else.

'In the end, they should at least be steady enough to walk and hail a cab,' she said.

Executive director of Teen Challenge Singapore, Mr Sam Kuna, who has worked with teen alcoholics, added: 'Merry-making, alcohol and teens who don't know when to stop - it's a formula for disaster.'

He felt that anything involving excessive drinking is a slippery slope. Women, especially, would be on the losing end in such situations, because they have to ward off wandering hands.

'I'd suggest that they have a buddy who can stop them from going overboard. But of course, if your buddy falls under the pressure, then both will end up in trouble.

'I don't see any other way. Either you stay away, or if you do want to have some fun, have some buddies to look out for you.'

Last year's ZoukOut also saw similar scenes and sparked similar comments from counsellors and parents, with some even calling a ban on the event, which has been held yearly since 2000.

The divide is clear: The young feel they are just having fun, even if it does get a bit wild at times, while older folk like parents and counsellors are concerned about over-drinking and unseemly behaviour.

Will their message ever get through: It's okay to party but don't overdo the drinking?

The young being young, expect more of the same at ZoukOut 2009.

This article was first published in The New Paper on Dec 15, 2008.