Spring Break is a week for students to escape the the horrors of school and head to the beach to relax and have fun with friends. Unfortunately, it’s infamous for being a week for students to binge drink and act irresponsibly. Spring break can be all fun and well, but students have to remember to stay smart and act responsibly—but they rarely do.
1. 1 Shot, 2 Shot, 3 Shot… Floor
Spring Break is all about the beach and binge drinking. It’s not uncommon to find students sunburnt from passing out on the beach after drinking far too much. Too much indulgence could result in a hospital trip, so if you do make the decision to drink listen to the Heineken commercials and drink responsibly.
2. Jumping from High Places into Pools
With all the liquid courage being consumed, some might find themselves thinking it’s a smart idea to jump from that rooftop down into the pool. Don’t. Most pools have “No Diving” signs around for a reason, and that most likely also applies to diving from high and far places. Don’t let your inner daredevil get the best of you, because it could result in some permanent injuries.
3. Balcony Scaling
Try to climb from one balcony to another to get to your buddies hotel room may seem convenient, but remember, hallways were invented for a reason. It may look daring, and give you a nice adrenaline rush, but the consequences of falling stretch from broken bones to death. If a pool is below you, please refer to the above point.
4. Experimenting with Drugs
We’ve all gotten the drug talk a million times in our lifetime. The D.A.R.E. program taught us all a lot of valuable lessons, most importantly not to mix booze with drugs. Spring break may be one big party, but it’s not the place to decide to experiment with drugs. You are not a scientist and your one chemistry class in high school does not qualify you to say, “Acid and Jager, no problem.” Be smart and safe.
5. Where’s Waldo: Spring Break Edition
You’ve been practicing the buddy system since preschool—now’s your time to show off your skills. Stick together all the time. Being drunk in a foreign place will never end well. The cops can very easily pick you up if you’re found wandering the streets alone. Intoxicated people are always more trusting and shady characters know that. We’ve all heard the tales of abductions during spring break. Always keep your phone on you and most importantly, don’t become another spring break horror story.
6. Haunting Inappropriate Pictures or Videos
It may be funny in the moment to take pictures of people passed out on the beach or to have someone take a video of you binging beer after beer, but you need to remember those pictures and videos always have the chance of getting out. You need to be careful of who’s recording you or taking your picture. After spring break is over, and after we graduate, the goal is to get a job. If scandalous pictures (especially when you are under 21) end up on the Internet they can seriously harm your chances of getting a job.
7. Coming Home with a Criminal Record
What happens in Cancun doesn’t always stay in Cancun—specifically a criminal record. Getting arrested will hurt you in both the long and short-term. From the embarrassment of being arrested (and also the videos bound to be taken of you getting arrested), court costs and fines to having a tarnished record, getting arrested is not good. Just because it’s spring break doesn’t mean you can be drunk and disorderly, or walk down the street with an open can of beer. Tarnishing your record and spending a ton of money (that should have been spent on booze) on court costs certainly isn’t worth it.
8. Fall from Shoulders
Everybody loves a classic game of chicken. Although, relying on a drunken boy to safely keep you up on his shoulders isn’t the best idea. If you notice him swaying or stumbling, it’d be your best bet to get down. If he falls down or loses balance, you’re going down too, twice as hard.
9. You Booze, You Lose (a Ton of Money)
All of the booze and boardwalk food adds up. As broke college kids, spring break doesn’t really seem like something we can afford to begin with. Grocery shop and embrace your inner freshman by sticking to good old Natty Lite or cheaper liquor when you can. If you don’t plan and save, you may find yourself broke halfway through the week.
10. Drowning, but Not in Booze and Babes
Besides alcohol poisoning, another completely obvious way of getting hurt on spring break is drowning. The chances of drowning increase when you’re constantly surrounded by water. Falling asleep too close to the shore or hitting your head and falling into the water can have serious consequences. Make it out of spring break alive. When highly intoxicated, avoid the water after downing your sixth Corona of the night.
