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The room is spinning. It appears to be just as disoriented as your thoughts. You pan your surroundings and it seems as though you managed to fall asleep in your clothes from the night before. Your body aches and there is an unexplainable gash on your knee. What exactly happened last night? Before heading to the bathroom, you proceed with caution, praying that there won’t be any endangered species watching you take a leak.
A night out for drinks always sounds like the obvious choice for fun until it’s time to figure out how you’re going to get home. But even then, we’ll take getting home in one piece for “500, Alex.” Turning up responsibly doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be a drag. So here’s to a night out that will leave you saying you never want to drink again—until next weekend, of course.
Designate a friend to stay sober for the night.
Someone has to take one for the team every now and then. If you’ve been the designated driver the last few times that your crew has gone out, they owe you one. Pick names out of a hat or guess a number between one and 10. Do whatever needs to be done in order to know who gets behind the wheel before the whole squad is inebriated.
Leave your car and grab it in the morning.
If arriving to the club without your car was not an option, leaving without it most definitely should be. Before you head out for the night, make sure at least half of your team is equipped with accounts on Uber or Lyft. You can even get a little retro and catch a cab the old-fashioned way. On the other hand, libations have a way of bringing out emotions, so feel free to call a special someone to pick you up. Drake-ing and driving is permitted—drinking and driving is not.
Create a cutoff time for alcohol.
If you’re adamant about driving back home, make sure you stop your bar tab a few hours before you intend on heading out. Have a drink, followed by water, and bask in the glory that you won’t be throwing up your lunch like the rest of your friends.
Leave at a reasonable time.
Showing up to the club when the bar is closing in less than an hour is just a recipe for disaster. Instead of knocking back Rum and Cokes, show up early so you’ll have time to enjoy the drinks and sober up. Remember, water is life.
Make sleeping arrangements for the night.
Let’s face it—life happens. The workweek can be extremely overwhelming. You may have earned yourself more than a few drinks. If you know that you’ll be overindulging, instead of relying on designated drivers, book a hotel room near the club. You’ll probably even get cool points for suggesting a way for everyone to reach their maximum levels of turnt. It sounds like a night for the books already.