Sometimes, the excitement of getting to unwind after midterms may overshadow your thoughts about safety. To those students who are 21 or older, if you’re planning on partying with your friends over break, make sure to take this bit of guidance on how to safe while doing so.
Phone home
After choosing your party destination, make sure that you tell at least one person where you are going and whom you are going with. You probably do not want your parents to know what you’ll be doing with your friends; however, staying safe is more important than outsmarting your parents, so try to tell them everything they want to know before you leave. Moreover, you do not want to be in any danger and have no one know where you are. At least if you tell someone where you are, in the case of emergency, you’ll have someone to count on.
Good things come in pairs
Think back to your elementary school days when you had to hold hands with your classmates as you walked across the treacherous hallways. OK, maybe you don’t need to do something as drastic as that, but you still need to practice the buddy system. It does not matter how safe the area looks, how bright it is outside or how comfortable you feel in the environment; never go anywhere alone. Don’t let your guard down, and make sure you take at least one friend with you everywhere you go.
Say no to DUI’s
If you are 21 and older, spring break and alcohol are probably synonymous, but with all the alternative forms of transportation, there is no reason anyone should be drinking and driving. If you are going out with friends, and you know you will be drinking, make sure that you have a designated driver who will not consume any alcohol. If no one wants to be the sober friend, then that means it’s time to call a taxi or Uber. Sure, you’ll have to spend some money, but at least you will make it home safely.
If you really want to be efficient, you can try getting a hotel near where you plan to hang out, so you and your friends can walk to a safe place and not have to worry about driving at all. Either way, you need to plan to drink responsibly if you plan on drinking. You do not want to do anything over spring break that will harm your record or your body; remember, this is supposed to be fun, not costly.
Remember that you’re not in a movie
At some point, you’ll probably find yourself having the urge to overdo it. Fight that urge. This is not the movies ― crowd surfing doesn’t usually happen, drunk driving actually leads to accidents, and jumping off a building into a pool can be fatal. Do not get carried away with being cool or using movies like “Spring Breakers” as your reference points. Here, in the real world, actions have consequences.
Have fun this spring break; you definitely deserve it after those gruesome midterms. Students who are of age, just remember that taking precaution and being safe will definitely make having fun even more enjoyable.
