Summer is coming to a close faster than the blink of an eye and with this comes the beginning of fall semester for those of us in college. Whether you are a freshman or a senior we all know that the majority of us at some point in our college careers, whether 21 or not, will participate in the consumption of alcoholic beverages. This is just a fact of college life and while underage drinking is not legal we all know that it happens and there are many ways we can do it safely. With the horrendous display of our legal system that came about in the Brock Turner case, if you have not heard about it please look it up and learn about it, it is important now more than ever for us as college students, females in particular to be safe when drinking. Here are many ways we can drink safely while having fun:

1. Have a game plan before you start drinking

Whether you are drinking in your own dorm room/on campus apartment or going to a party elsewhere on campus it is extremely important to have a game plan before you begin drinking. Know the people you are drinking with and make sure you talk beforehand about your plans for the night and what you plan on doing. Make sure you all look out for each other and know who is supposed to end up where at the end of the night and always keep track of each other throughout the night. If someone disappears do not assume they just went to the bathroom or to grab something make sure you know 100% where they are as this can help prevent from something bad happening to your friend.

2. Never ever and I mean NEVER leave a drink unattended

We have all heard this one a million times from our parents and I’m sure most of us just shook it off and went along with it however this one is really important. Never leave a drink unattended, especially a mixed drink or a drink in a cup, as this is how drugs get slipped into drinks and people get hurt and/or assaulted. The simple step of taking your drink with you wherever you go or handing it to someone you trust can really help you out in the long run. If you are the person holding the drink for someone make sure it never leaves your sight and don’t think of it as a burden but instead think of it as you protecting your friend from potential harm.

3. Never leave alone with someone you don’t know or trust completely

Never leave a party where people are under the influence, including yourself, with someone you just met that night or with someone you don’t trust or know completely. If you are at a party and see your friend leave with a guy, or anyone, you know they don’t know or just met then stop them right away, run if you have to, as you could be saving them from a potential assault or something they will come to regret in the morning once they sober up. Having your friend mad at you for not letting them leave with the hot guy at the party is a much better punishment then the guilt you would have if something bad had happened to them if you hadn’t intervened.

4. Drink responsibly

We all know that drinking and partying in college can be fun and makes you feel good but there is a difference between have fun and being stupid. You do not have to compete with people to see who ca drink the most or who can take the most shots. Competitions like this are what lead to alcohol poisoning which can be fatal and nobody wants to die or be hospitalized because they were stupid and were able to take 30 shots in a couple of hours. You are not cool for blacking out or being the most intoxicated person at the partying this just makes you stupid and believe me people will be talking about you and laughing at you behind your back. Getting sick from drinking is not fun and it does not need to get to that point you can drink and have fun without getting to the point of becoming sick. Most importantly though drink responsibly and be as prepared as you can by eating a good meal before drinking and drinking water throughout the night to stay hydrated.

5. Have fun

This may seem like a stupid thing to put in an article about safely drinking but it is true. When you are drinking with friends you need to have fun. College is a stressful time in your life and the weekend is the time to unwind and forget about all of your classes and have a little fun. College truly is one of the bets times of your life so make sure you have fun while drinking (because we all know you will drink) but please do so RESPONSIBLY.

As a side note I would like to put that sexual assaults due to being under the influence can happen on any COLLEGE campus too ANYBODY. Also it can happen to anybody drinking whether in college or not and whether male or female. This article is not meant to scare anybody but to make sure every college student, especially in coming freshman, drink responsibly and have the best college careers they can.