Spring Break Safety Tips

In the coming weeks, young adults across the country will migrate south to celebrate the arrival of spring. If you've been on this annual journey known as spring break, you know that part of the fun is having the opportunity to make new and exciting, yet often destructive, decisions. While I support every young person's right to make dangerous choices, I encourage them to take precautions to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

Before you even leave home, make sure that your apartment or dorm is secure. Spring break provides an easy opportunity for thieves to break into mostly empty apartment buildings and dorm complexes. Lock your doors and, if possible, have someone that you trust check on your place while you are away.

Nobody likes to be hassled by cops while partying, but a moderate amount of respect will ensure that your vacation doesn't devolve into an overnight stay in jail. You may even need to make a return trip in several months if you are required to make a court appearance. I made the mistake of driving recklessly on the drive home from spring break many years ago. Although my friends and I made the most of the situation by making a road trip to the courthouse down south, the mini-trip wasn't worth the court costs and fine. While it's no fun to deal with police in the U.S., it's worse if you have a run-in with authorities in foreign destinations like Mexico. Remember that American tourists are subject to Mexican law while in Mexico.

Don't be afraid of a few drinks, but it's much more impressive to hold your liquor and maintain a solid buzz all night than to pass out in your own vomit. In addition to being uncool, drinking to the point of failure can have some serious repercussions. In a report from the sociology department at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, George Dowdall, Ph.D. said that black outs often cause a serious lapse in judgment. "Once someone reaches the point of 'blacking out,' memory is lost, risk perception is decreased, and intellectual and moral values are partially or completely lost."