Surrounding yourself with good friends and good people can make all the difference during a night out.

Planning a night out with friends and having plans to be safe is very important before going out, but many people forget to consider the planning while they are out. Decisions made before the night starts can quickly change.

On Saturday night, I went to a party. At the party, drinks were consumed, and drinking was discussed. And, before the party, decisions were made, such as who would be the designated driver and at what time the drive home would commence.

But, these decisions, made before the party even starts, are always subject to change.

In my case, the decisions did not change.

“I want to see you drunk! Here take this,” one girl said to another, all the while pouring some mysterious orangey-pink liquid into her red-solo cup.

“Well, I’m DD, so…uhh, thanks, but…” said the girl who unwillingly accepted the solo cup and preceded to hand it off to me. I didn’t accept it. I had already decided on what kind of night I was going to have. For me, it was going to be a “chill” night, one where I spent the night talking to my friends and going home before 1 AM, all the while being able to walk straight and wake up well and rested the next day. My friend and designated driver had also made their decisions.

But most people seemed to still be deciding what kind of night they would have.

It was the start of the night still, the time of the night when people scoped out different parties and different people, deciding which jungle juice tasted best and which people were the most fun or good to talk to.

It was quickly becoming the point of the night, however, when decisions needed to be made, or re-considered.

The point of no return was soon approaching.

By the next round of beer pong or the next beat dropped, there would be no going back. You would either stay sober, sober up, or say goodbye to walking and seeing straight.

I am talking about the decision of drinking, drinking more, or stopping completely for the rest of the night. The same goes for other forms of drug use and general partying. By around 11 PM, the party is started and friends are found. By 11:30 PM to 12 AM, or later, perhaps after one or two drinks, the decision has to be made, preferably with friends.

Who is planning on getting sloshed, hammered, high, tipsy, faded, what have you? Who is planning on drinking nothing but tap water for the rest of the evening? How are you going to get home, how are your best friends going to get home, or where are they going to stay? What time will the goodbyes be said and friends be found before the journey home?

These decisions have to be made right before the “point of no return,” the moment when people decide to keep going or to stop going.

The thing about these decisions is that they probably have already been made before the party or night out even started. How much drinking is to be done and what bus, cab, or car is to be taken home are questions that probably asked and answered as makeup was being done and outfits were being picked.

But, the point of no return can quickly change things. People who claimed they would not drink might quickly change their minds as a cup of jungle juice is handed to them. Likewise, people who were going to drink might change their minds when they get to the party and decide they don’t want to risk getting in too much trouble, or perhaps just decide they don’t want to deal with a hangover the next day.

The moral of the story is to always have a back-up plan and to surround yourself with good people who care about your well-being.

Plans don’t always stay steady, but the people you surround yourself with should always have your back, as you should theirs.