Developing a Party Plan
Ever gone out with friends and ended up in a weird or uncomfortable situation because no one really talked about the game plan for the night? Maybe you missed the last bus and had to hike back to your dorm from downtown, or hosted a party but spent the night taking care of someone who went too hard too fast.
Making a party plan with your friends ahead of time can help avoid all that. When everyone’s on the same page, you’re way more likely to have a fun night without the drama.
Party Goer Guide
Planning to go to a party with friends is a little like planning a road trip. You want to make sure you have all of the necessary supplies, a game plan for where you are going and how long you are staying, and what to do if things go sideways. Talking through these things ahead of time helps set expectations and ensure that no one is left in an unsafe or awkward situation.
Before the party
- Charge your phone. If you are going to a forest party, bring a flashlight and batteries.
- Eat a full meal. Eating high protein foods and carbs will slow down the absorption rate so alcohol won’t hit your system all at once.
- Make a plan of how you’re getting to the party and how you’re getting home safely. Check out the transportation section for transit suggestions.
- Set a limit on how many drinks you’ll have. Keep track of your drinks by recording it on your phone, arm, or just remembering it in your head.
- Plan on using the buddy system with your friends. By sticking together and leaving together it will help prevent unwanted consequences – unhappy hook ups, citations, injuries, etc.
- Think about whether or not you’re drinking for the right reasons. It’s fun to celebrate a birthday or drink casually with friends, but if you’re drinking to reduce stress, get over a breakup, or release anger, remember that alcohol is a depressant and will only amplify the feelings you already have.
- If you don’t want to drink alcohol or are the Designated Driver, bring a non-alcoholic option you are excited about or ask the bartender to make you a fancy mocktail. You are less likely to be asked why you aren’t drinking or be offered a drink if you already have something in your hand.
- Pack some naloxone (Narcan) and fentanyl test strips if you think there will be drug use. You can get both for free from SHOP.
During the party
- Keep an eye on your drink and your surroundings.
- Pace yourself and alternate your drinks with water or any other non-alcoholic beverages. You reach your highest alcohol euphoria (chemicals in your body that increase happiness and contentment) at around .04 – .06 BAC.
- It takes your liver about 1 hour to process each alcoholic drink, depending on your size, food consumed, and other factors.
- Be cautious of drinking games. When playing them, it’s hard to judge how much you are drinking and over how long of a time span. Most medical transports at UCSC are due to students drinking too much too fast.
- Avoid mixing substances. 2+2=5 when you start combining other drugs with alcohol or mixing different drugs. If you are going to mix, use a smaller dose than usual and go slow.
- Test your drugs. You can pick up fentanyl test strips from SHOP. There are commercial kits on the market to do more extensive testing of your substances too. Be sure to test the whole batch as fentanyl can clump and may not be evenly distributed.
After the party
- Leave with your friends.
- Drink a lot of water to counteract the dehydration from the alcohol, which can prevent a hangover the next day.
- Don’t leave any of your severely intoxicated friends alone. Their BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) can still rise even if they’ve stopped drinking. Very drunk people need to be monitored.
- Know the signs of alcohol poisoning and opioid overdose in case your friend needs help
Party Thrower Guide
Think about the parties you have been to in the past.
What made a party awesome? What was the vibe? What did you do?
An awesome party may have had amazing music and everyone was dancing. Perchance there was decent food in addition to the drinks. Some parties have cool themes and activities.
What makes a bad party? What can go wrong?
Maybe people were too intoxicated and getting sick. Or there was a person getting handsy on the dance floor. Perhaps a fight broke out. Maybe there was a noise complaint from the neighbors and the cops broke up the party.
Oftentimes, the difference between a good party and a bad party is planning. You can’t control everything, but you can manage many issues through a solid plan.
Before the party
- Tell your neighbors if you didn’t invite them already and give them your phone number. This way they’ll call you if the party gets too noisy, instead of calling the police.
- Designate one person to be in charge of the alcohol. Have that person pour and mix drinks rather than allowing guests to do it themselves. This will help in moderating the amount of alcohol consumed throughout the party and standardize drink size.
- Restricting the exit and entrance to one door will make it easier to regulate guests.
- When buying alcoholic drinks, also buy non-alcoholic drinks, like water or juice, and snacks. This will encourage people to alternate drinks and have food in their stomachs. Alternating alcoholic drinks with water or juice will help people avoid hangovers, blackouts, and getting sick at your house. It also shows some love to your designated drivers.
- Clean the place up. A house that looks like a trashcan will be treated like one.
- Set up the speakers, preferably in a place where they won’t get spilled on, kicked over, or stolen. Speakers in the middle of a party will be treated as cup holders or stools, so put them in a safe place.
- Make a playlist. Keep the music playing device hidden. Phones that play through speakers are one of the most commonly stolen items at parties.
- Lock up the bedroom doors to avoid having anything stolen or having people use your bedroom.
- Get naloxone (Narcan) for overdose emergencies and place it in an easy-to-access location.
During the party
- Don’t be afraid to cut someone off if they are drinking too much. It’s your party and you have the right to do so. They might even thank you in the morning.
- Make sure no one gets in a fight. You don’t want your house and roommates getting involved with the police over a fight between two other people. Kindly ask them to leave if trouble starts.
- Keep all cups and drinks in the house. Nothing draws police attention to a party more than people drinking on the street.
- Have a set volume for the music. Know that you can get a citation for loud music after 10 p.m.
- Have a sober monitor. They can make decisions in an emergency and talk with law enforcement/EMS if there is an issue.
After the party
- Make sure your guests are walking home with someone – another friend(s) or yourself. People walking alone are much more likely to get a citation or get hurt.
- If you think someone has alcohol poisoning, a drug overdose, or is dangerously drunk, call for medical help immediately. Learn more about responding to an overdose.
- If they are too drunk to go home, give them a couch to sleep on.
- If someone is passed out, or you think they are just sleeping it off, check on them to be sure they are okay.
- Clean up trash outside of your place. This will help you keep good relations with your neighbors.
Transportation
Campus Shuttles
UCSC operates a Campus Transit system, with shuttles that circulate throughout the campus. There are three shuttle routes; The Loop, Upper Campus, and Night Core.
Note: Service is modified during intersession (class curtailment), and does not operate on some holidays.
Safe Ride
Safe Ride provides a safe and reliable means of transit from one location to another on campus and ensures the safety of students who feel endangered or unsafe during night hours. It is staffed by student operators and is available from 7 p.m.–12 a.m., seven days a week when classes are in session during fall, winter and spring quarters.
Note: There may be exceptions for holidays and finals week.
Santa Cruz Metro Bus
Provides bus service throughout Santa Cruz county. Be sure to check when the last bus is leaving before you go out.
