About a week ago, I turned 21 years old. It was very exciting for me because this means that I can now go out and drink with my friends who are older than me, but it also means that I am able to get in anywhere I want to go to. I live close to D.C. when I am home, so I think the latter excited me more. Here are some of the things that I wish I knew before turning 21.
1. Bars are expensive
I have learned that drinks are very expensive if you don't buy them during happy hour. I ended up going to this bar is Blacksburg and paid $9 for a drink which wasn't even that great. Some bars may not have the prices of their drinks visible, so you could easily spend all of your birthday money and then some.
2. People will try to buy you alcohol all night long on your 21st birthday.
Like pretty much every college student when they turn 21, I drank on my birthday. I only ended up buying one drink on my own, the rest was bought for me. This is a great thing for your bank account, but be careful because it can get out of hand really easily.
3. Watch out for creepy drunks
Let's be honest. Most of us have gone to at least one frat party in college and know that guy who drinks a little too much and then tries to get with the girls that are at the party. This is extremely intensified at bars because drinking is legal, the alcohol is stronger (not watered down beer) and there are usually a lot of women. It's very easy to get into an uncomfortable situation because a guy or girl was misreading the signals you gave.
4. Watch your drink
I know, I will sound like your mother but please, please watch your drink. If you need to go to the bathroom, have your friends watch your drink (and also be prepared to wait for like 20 minutes in line). Don't chance that someone hasn't slipped something into your drink because you never know. It's way better to be safe than sorry.
5. Make sure you drink water and have food.
Don't drink your alcohol all at once and make sure that you have water in between. You will feel so much better the day after and you will stay in control when you have food in your body and you are hydrating yourself. Bars tend to make their food more expensive and the drinks cheaper as the night goes on, but don't let that fool you - having food in your system is worth the extra money.
In conclusion, if you are going to drink, do it safely. Make sure that you go out with your friends and most importantly make sure that you stay with those friends throughout the night - sometimes there are a lot of people in a bar at once and it will be difficult. Have fun and be safe!
