In clubs and bars don’t accept a drink from anyone except a bartender, and observe the drink being mixed. Don’t leave your drink unattended or share drinks, because someone might slip a drug into it which will make you unconscious or sick, and vulnerable to assault. If you are in doubt about a drink just get a new one.

Don’t leave with a stranger, especially if you are intoxicated. If you do leave the bar with someone, make sure your friend or someone knows that you are leaving, and with whom. If you go home with someone you don’t know, first introduce the person to friends, bartenders or others you know. Exchange names and telephone numbers. If you have a lapse of memory, or wake up in a strange place and feel you might have been a victim of a sexual assault, contact law enforcement asap.

If you are a victim of sexual assault, please get help. Don’t isolate yourself, don’t feel guilty, and don’t just try to forget about it. Phone the police, a friend, or a rape crisis center and get medical attention as soon as possible. Don’t shower, wash, douche, change your clothes or bedding as that could destroy key evidence. Rapists are typically repeat offenders and rely on the silence of their victims, who are often known to them. Reporting them may protect someone else from injury. You can learn more at daterape.mobi.

Recognize danger zones and avoid them: dark parking lots, alleys, walk ways with tall shrubs, walls and fences. Move away from unsafe situations quickly if you feel threatened. Run! Scream “Help”, “Call 9-1-1” or “Fire” or sound a rape alarm.

Alcohol decreases judgement and memory and can put you at risk of hypothermia in cold weather. Accidents and violence often involve alcohol, and heavy use leads to terminal liver damage. Remember that people who are taking ecstasty need to drink water to avoid dangerous dehydration.

And remember to enjoy yourself.