Calling all club rats! It's time for a lifestyle upgrade.
Excessive clubbing is fun at first, but no one wants to turn into an episode of the Real World. Long-term excessive clubbing can have adverse effects on your wallet, your sanity, and the sanity of those around you, especially in a city attached to South Beach.
When there's always something happening, it can be hard to know when to say "when." Here at Crossfade, we've seen what excessive clubbing can do first hand. If you suffer from more than half of these symptoms, you may want to consider a sober staycation.
See also: The Six People You Meet on South Beach
The Only Time You See the Sun Is Before Bed
Most people work all week to go hard on the weekends. Some people work in the industry themselves, and go ham on weird off days to get a taste of what everyone else has. If you're holding down a 9-to-5 and still trying to make it to every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday gig, you're playing in dangerous territory. Likewise, if your excuse is "I'm in the industry," but you haven't had a "morning" without a hangover in more than a week, you might have a problem. Forget your reputation. It's just not healthy. Your liver needs a break.
You're No Longer Willing to Pay for Anything -- Ever
We all love free shit. It's hard-wired into us to go for the deal, but a big part of supporting your local music scene is actually supporting it. That means paying for cover sometimes, or tipping your bartenders regardless of friendly drink tickets. Free stuff is a privilege, not a right. Don't make a face when your time to throw down comes calling. If you really don't have enough money to get in the club and buy a single beer, you probably shouldn't be there. You should be focused on getting your life together. And if you do actually have the money, you're kind of being a dick.
See also: Eight Signs You're Not VIP
A Party Without Drugs Isn't a Party
We all talk a good game about how the music is so important or makes us feel so alive, blah blah blah. If all that is true, you wouldn't mind taking a night off the booze or blow. Try an experiment: head out to the next great show or party and don't drink, don't smoke, don't take party favors. Drink water or soda or cranberry juice. Be friendly and dance, and drive your fucked up friends home. If you're annoyed with everyone or short-tempered with the atmosphere, it turns out you don't really like the music or the party, and maybe not even the people. That's a sign that your heart just isn't in it anymore, not for the right reasons, and the prescription is some serious time off.
Everyone Hates You
Why is everyone such a turd lately? All your friends are giving you the evil eye. Your parents give you way too much shit when you try to visit. Your relationship is on the rocks. Your entire personal life is like walking on nails. Here's a novel idea. Maybe it's you. Maybe your friends and relatives are sick of talking to someone who's always inebriated and self-absorbed. Maybe people who haven't dedicate themselves to nightlife have a hard time relating to someone who only talks about things they don't understand. It's important to be well-rounded and versatile, and if you're having a hard time relating to old friends, a night off can do a lot of good.
When Will It End?
Change is inevitable. It's a rule of the Universe. Don't fight it. If you've been hanging around the same dark rooms for ten or `15 years, and you're not somehow involved in running those dark room, it's time for a change of scenery. Doing the same thing every night is boring anyway. Challenge yourself, meet new people, and you never know what opportunities will come your way. Trust us, there is life after the after party - unless you're actually 21. Then go get 'em, tiger.
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