We are quickly approaching prime partying season my lovely collegiettes. Right on the cusp of Halloweekend and heading into the Turkey Trots and Ugly Sweater parties of the bitter winter season. This week (October 19-23) was National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week, but don’t let me lose you here. I’m not here to tell you to put down the mulled wine and spiked cider. I’m merely a giver of knowledge and teller of regret-filled stories in hopes that you will make it to V- Day in one piece (and then that’s a whole different story). Here are five ways to make sure you’re keeping it safe and partying smart, collegiettes.
1) Eat food and drink water BEFORE even picking out your outfit for the evening. This is the season for delicious food so go ahead and load up on a Thanksgiving feast before you strap on those heels. I know we are all concerned about wearing tight bodycon dresses after indulging, but I’m here to tell you that you look amazing. Once you start dancing the night away and imbibing you’ll feel a hundred times better with a little something in your belly.
2) Know how much is in a standard drink! Meaning not all drinks are created equal from beer to wine to mixed spirits. A beer is 12 oz. that is the amount in a can or a standard bottle. Wine is 5 oz. and is a little trickier to measure, but it is a little less than half of a standard wine glass. Spirits are 1.5 ounces or 1 shot glass, but remember that taking shots can lead to losing track of the amount you’ve drank and over-intoxication more quickly. A trick to keeping track of your drinks is wearing the same amount of bracelets on one wrist as the number of drinks you want to consume in one night. Then as you consume these drinks move one bracelet from one wrist to the other. Here’s an excuse to bring back bangles and to go shopping for some new accessories. If you’re not a jewelry person then find the “bracelet-method” that works for you!
3) If you’ve been to any party hosted by someone under the age of 25 there was probably a dingy garage filled with partygoers throwing little plastic ping pong balls at red cups. Drinking games are dangerous territory. They are a fun way to stay occupied if there’s no one on the dance floor, but can lead to drinking too much way too quick, especially if you are particularly terrible at them (definitely not talking about myself here…). Drinking games appear to be here to stay when it comes to collegiate culture, but please be careful. Playing them will make it even harder to keep track of how much you’ve had so exercise caution.
4) Don’t try to outdrink your buddies or your archenemies. I know it may be tempting, especially if you have the competitive spirit of a stereotypical frat boy, but it’s not worth it. Winning in this game is losing the night and probably the battle with the next day: the same goes for combining alcohol and prescription drugs. If you need to know if taking that headache medication or vitamin will lead to a bad reaction, never fear: there’s an app for that!
5) It’s the end of the night: you’re sweaty, sleepy, and ready to crawl into bed. How are you getting home? Do you have your crew to take the bus with you? You’re probably somewhere in the Richmond or Sunset if you’re at a house party, so a bus line is probably close by but before you leave where you are make sure the one you want is still running. If you’re at a bar or club you could really be anywhere in the city and it’s probably best to call a car. Most of us I know already have Lyft, Uber, and maybe even Sidecar downloaded. Make sure everyone you came with is accounted for and then allow your chariot to take you back to your castle.
Be safe out there my babes. If something does go wrong, never hesitate to ask for help. P-Safe is always just a phone call away at (415) 422- 2911.