Party Smarter

Not every college party is a drinking party. In a recent survey, 70% of IU Indianapolis students said they drink five or fewer days per month. Students who avoid drinking are avoiding a whole slew of risks—health, safety, and legal. (After all, we have to go to class in the morning!)

If you do choose to drink alcohol, here are some easy ways to reduce those risks.

1. Pace your drinks: one per hour

Each time you get a drink, draw a tally mark on your hand, set a timer on your phone, or just keep an eye on the clock. If you’re drinking beer, you can track how many you’ve opened by saving the tabs or bottle caps in your pocket.

2. Count standard pours, not refills

Different types of drinks (beer, wine, liquor) contain different concentrations of alcohol. If you are counting your drinks through the night, be sure to count standard pours—not just the number of times you fill your cup—and measure the number of shots you add to mixed drinks or travel containers.

• Choose or volunteer to be the designated driver.
• Have Uber and Lyft accounts set up on your phone.
• Decide where your group will go and when you’ll leave.
• Determine in advance how much you’ll drink.
• Eat before and during drinking (eating after doesn’t help much).

4. Stick to drinks you’re familiar with

It’s fun to try new things, but sticking with drinks you know makes it easier to pace yourself and anticipate how your body will react. Even experienced drinkers can be thrown off by a craft beer that contains twice the alcohol content of their usual Budweiser. Knowing exactly what’s in your cup and how your body has handled it in the past is a huge benefit that puts you in control of your night.

5. Get rich by not drinking

Before you spend your last $20 on alcohol, ask yourself: what’s more important? A night out with friends or your electric bill? Drinks at the club or next week’s gas money? Buying a round for your buddies or buying your mom’s birthday dinner? It adds up, and you might be surprised how much money you save.

If you’re hosting, mix up a fancy mocktail for yourself and others who choose not to drink.  Non-alcoholic beers are common these days and actually taste decent. If you’re the guest, fill your Stanley cup with a mocktail and sip it throughout the night. No one will ever know it’s not alcohol and anyway, who cares?

• Don’t drink too much too fast.
• Drink even less than usual at large events.
• Play drinking games with water instead of alcohol.
• Don’t swim, play sports, or operate heavy machinery while drinking.
• Don’t drink on rooftops or by open windows.

If you care at all about your health or physical shape, consider this: alcohol is a source of empty calories. Three pints of craft beer can contain half a day’s worth of calories and no vitamins, minerals, or nutrients. In other words, you’re better off getting ice cream.

Drinking alcohol opens up a can of legal risks at the university, city, and state levels—whether or not you’re of legal drinking age.

• Try spending time with friends who don’t drink every weekend.
• Practice being comfortable in social settings without drinking.
• Volunteer to be the designated driver.
• Never drink when you’re sick or on medication with a label warning not to drink alcohol.