Transitioning into adulthood after college has two modes: hard or really hard.
Few of us do it gracefully and nobody breezes into adulthood without a struggle. Figuring out your life is not for the faint of heart. There’s the struggle of finding employment, changes in your daily lifestyle, and your social circle is often flipped upside down. Changing your social habits are hard and some do it more gracefully than others. As a degree-holding adult, you can still go out and paint the town red, but there are a few new rules that didn’t exist before.
1.) Thou shall know thy limits.
This rule is number one because it is the most important on the list. There’s nothing worse than somebody who has made it to their mid-twenties, yet they are still vomiting on the sidewalk at 3am. Sure, it still happens here and there, but if you are publicly puking past college or you find yourself tossing your cookies every time you go out for drinks, it’s time to make a change.
When Freshman get too sloppy, it’s expected. They’re precious babies that have no experience with frat parties. When seniors get belligerent and push the limit, it’s annoying. When you’re in the post-grad phase and you’re still unable to keep it down, it’s sad. Learn your limits and respect them.
2.) Thou shall dress accordingly
I’m not one to judge people for the ways they like to express themselves, but there’s a time and a place for everything. The moldy basement of a frat house at 1 am may not be the time or the place to roll in wearing 5-inch heels and a tight dress, but I saw quite a few cases of this in college. I even made this blunder during my Welcome Week way back when.
In college, this faux pas is excusable, but try to dress for the occasion once you graduate. Don’t overdress for a dive bar and try to avoid under-dressing for a ritzy club.
3.) Remember the Sabbath and keep it sober.
If you choose to go out to a bar on a Sunday night to catch the game with friends, don’t let yourself get wasted. Exceptions can be made for the Superbowl and other extreme cases, but for the most part, stay chill on the Sabbath.
Your boss will not appreciate you rolling into work at 10 am, hungover because half-off appetizers got out of control last night.
4.) Honor thy time of closing.
I remember this one night in college when the bar closed at 2am, but we hung around outside on the sidewalk for a good half-hour after that place shut down. We stayed out because a troop of boys we liked were hanging around smoking cigarettes.
If that happened today, we’d cut our loses and head home. Clearly, they weren’t interested in us so hanging around only made us look desperate. If you’re loitering outside a bar after the doors have been shut, you’ve hit the desperate hour of the night. If you couldn’t seal the deal inside the bar, chances are you’re not going to do it outside the venue either.
5.) Thou shall tip accordingly.
In the college town I went to school in, we had these terrible bars that didn’t ID. They let anybody through the door, and for that reason, most of the people that came through were Freshmen. These 18-year-old babies didn’t know proper etiquette of the bar, so few patrons tipped and few bartenders expected tips.
When you get into the real world, bars don’t work like that. If the bartender serves you a beer, it’s a rule of thumb that you leave a dollar. Mixed drinks can vary depending on their complexity, and if you’re getting multiple beers, make sure you leave multiple dollars.
6.) Thou shall not fight.
Why is it that after just a few beers, testosterone-charged men have a tendency to turn a shove in a crowded bar into a brawl? Fighting in a bar is not cool. It makes you look like you have issues or can’t control your temper when you’ve had alcohol. It does not and will never make you look tough.
The real winner of the fight is the one who walks away (which rarely happens). If you find yourself in a place to fight, try to stop yourself from doing so. Your sober self will thank you.
7.) Thou shall know thine demographic
Once you graduate, even if you stay in the area for work, resist the urge to go to the same old college bars. You’ve moved on with your life so it’s time to move on with your social circles. The same goes for people that are approaching 30. If everybody in the crowd is 25 or younger, try to frequent a more mature venues.
8.) Thou shall learn to turn down a free drink.
When somebody offers to buy you a drink, think long and hard before you accept. The general rule of a drink is that you stay and have a conversation as long as the drink lasts. In that amount of time, you can usually decide if that person has spiked your interest enough to exchange information.
Do not, however, take the drink, say thank you, and immediately walk away. That’s a poor way to treat a human being and while I’ve had friends that have done this, it’s unacceptable drinking etiquette and karma will come back at you for it.
9.) Thou shall not covet thy best friend’s hookup.
If your friend happens to reel one in, respect the code. If you aren’t flirting or dancing with anybody, avoid being a downer on your friend. Just because nobody is paying attention to you doesn’t mean this place sucks and you have to leave now. There will probably be times when the situation is flipped and you’ll be grateful when that friend gives you the same courtesy.
10.) Thou shall not eat disgusting munchies at 4 am.
At some point, it’s time to learn responsibility. One of the best gifts you can give yourself is the gift of self-control. Resist the urge to shovel greasy food down your throat after destroying pieces of your liver but before you pass out in a pile of sheets and the clothes you wore to the bar. It’s bad enough that you’re poisoning your blood with alcohol (but we’re going to keep doing it, anyway). Throwing greasy food into the sludge already in your stomach will just make you regret everything in the morning.
[Featured Image Credit: Anthony Quintano via Flickr]
The 10 Commandments Of Boozing After College is an article from: LifeDaily