How to keep your drink safe when you go out
Keep your drink safe by ordering it yourself and watching it being poured, keeping it in your hand or in sight, and getting a fresh one if you leave it. If you or a friend suddenly feel much drunker than expected, dizzy or confused, tell staff or a trusted friend immediately, get somewhere safe, and call your local emergency number, 911 in the US.
Why it matters: Simple habits protect your drink, and knowing what to do if you feel off matters most.
Steps
- Order your own drinks from staff and watch them being poured or opened.
- Keep your drink in your hand or in clear sight, and cover it with your palm in a crowd.
- Leave a drink behind if you set it down and lose sight of it, and get a new one.
- Go out with at least one friend and agree to look after each other.
- If you or a friend feel suddenly much drunker than you should, dizzy, confused or unwell, tell staff and your friend at once.
- Agree with your friend that you leave together, and check in before either of you goes somewhere new.
- Call your local emergency number, 911 in the US, if someone is very unwell, confused or hard to wake.
Stop and call a professional if
- someone is hard to wake, confused, vomiting while drowsy or breathing strangely: call your local emergency number, 911 in the US, and stay with them
- you think something happened to you: you can go to an emergency department, and in the US you can call a sexual assault hotline for confidential support
Common mistakes
- Worrying about looking rude when you decline a drink you did not see poured.
- Leaving a friend who feels unwell to get home alone.
- Waiting to see if a sudden bad feeling passes.
Teach this to someone
A one page sheet for showing a friend, a teenager or a parent: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: How to keep your drink safe when you go out
What to say
Keep your drink safe by ordering it yourself and watching it being poured, keeping it in your hand or in sight, and getting a fresh one if you leave it. If you or a friend suddenly feel much drunker than expected, dizzy or confused, tell staff or a trusted friend immediately, get somewhere safe, and call your local emergency number, 911 in the US.
What to show
- Order your own drinks from staff and watch them being poured or opened.
- Keep your drink in your hand or in clear sight, and cover it with your palm in a crowd.
- Leave a drink behind if you set it down and lose sight of it, and get a new one.
- Go out with at least one friend and agree to look after each other.
- If you or a friend feel suddenly much drunker than you should, dizzy, confused or unwell, tell staff and your friend at once.
- Agree with your friend that you leave together, and check in before either of you goes somewhere new.
- Call your local emergency number, 911 in the US, if someone is very unwell, confused or hard to wake.
Where it stops
Stop and call a professional if someone is hard to wake, confused, vomiting while drowsy or breathing strangely: call your local emergency number, 911 in the US, and stay with them.
Check question
You set your drink down and lose sight of it. What do you do?
Answer: Leave it and get a new one. If you lost sight of it, the simple fix is a fresh drink.
Your checklist
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Quick quiz
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Related skills
Sources
- US public health guidance on alcohol and safer nights out, 2026. Reviewed September 28, 2026.
Written in our own words from the sources above. It is general information, not advice for your situation; where a professional, your doctor or your lease says something different, follow them.
Last reviewed . First published .