It’s a typical Thursday night at Townie T and the bar is already packed with sweaty seniors moving to the beat of the DJ. Your friends slip into the mob faster than you can say “Want another LIT?” and you’re suddenly alone, fighting against the tidal wave of people stumbling towards the bar. You clutch your drink, searching the strobe-lit dance floor for your crew, wondering how you’ll get home.
If your night out isn’t going to plan, what do you do? At Her Campus Bucknell, we’ve been there before — so we’ve compiled a few tips on how to have a safe, fun night out:
Check your surroundings. Before you scour the crowd for your original squad, chances are you know a majority of the people around you (especially at a small school like Bucknell). College students are creatures of habit, meaning that cute guy from your econ class is probably at the same spot by the ATM as last night. Bars are a great place to socialize with people you don’t get to see every day — and an even better place to spark new flings.
Count your drinks. Finally, you’ve struck up a conversation with the Campus Cutie from your econ class, and he leans over and says, “So, what’re you drinking?” Soon, he’s bought the two of you a round of vodka sodas, and another, and another, until the room starts to sway and — oh no, how many drinks have I had?
Whether it’s the dreamy color of your crush’s eyes or the pulsing throwbacks playing at the bar, sometimes it’s easy to lose track of how many drinks you’ve had. Bar nights are marathons, not sprints, and it’s easy to get to a dangerous level of intoxication in a short period of time. According to studies, women should have only two drinks per hour – increasing that amount per hour also increases BAC levels exponentially. So, whenever you get to this point, remember to slow down. You don’t want your new crush to get any bad first impressions, do you?
Take a popcorn pit stop. There’s a reason Townie has a popcorn machine in the back room. Naturally, taking a snack break in between the bar slows down your rate of drinking alcohol, especially if you’re having above two drinks an hour. Remember, though – consuming carbs while you’re drinking doesn’t slow down your body’s absorption of alcohol. Instead, make sure to eat a hearty meal before going out – your hangover will thank you in the morning!
Make a game plan for getting home. Turns out your friends were at the popcorn machine the whole time! But it’s nearing closing time and the bar is slowly clearing out, and your friends still aren’t ready to go. You yawn and think about that 8 AM presentation you have in the morning. Stuck on how to get home? Make sure to check out our article on how to walk home alone safely!
For more information, check out:
http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/check-the-facts/health-effects-of-alcohol/ef…