Categories

Content Type

Sources

Party patrol; Use caution when attending get-togethers on and off campus

By Caylie Sadin, Source: Tribune Media Services

College may be the holy grail of alcohol consumption. House parties, against-the-rules dorm parties, frat parties, sorority parties, parties, parties, parties.

But even though these parties can be an awesome good time, a person always needs to be aware. Drinking can be dangerous.

One of the best ways to prevent trouble is to not accept a cup from anyone and to never put your cup down. Or if you do put it down, make sure not to drink from it again, because there could be someone at that party or bar you don’t know who put something in your drink.

But aside from the more nefarious drugging of a drink, a more prevalent hazard is one of getting way too drunk. Drinking too fast or too much can lead to blackouts. During a blackout, the person is often times still moving around and interacting with people, but come the next day and he or she remembers none of it.

This is a prime time in which someone can take advantage of you. Or even worse, you could, in your alcohol befuddled mind, think something is a great idea, and choose to be a part of something that had you been sober, you never would have done. And depending on how much you have had to drink, you might not even remember it.

A less talked about risk is that you could decide, drunk or sober, that you have had enough of the party and walk home by yourself. People walking alone are much more vulnerable to an attack than a group of people. They are an easy target, especially if the would be mugger (or worse) has a weapon.

So if you have to walk home at an ungodly hour, make sure to leave the party with at least one other person who is going your way. But know that this tactic won’t save you every time. The drunker you are, the more vulnerable. And if no one is willing to walk with you, shell out the 10 or 15 dollars for a cab. It’s better to have spent a little money then to have not gotten home at all.

© 2011, Tribune Media Services