We all have stories of unfortunate decisions made under the influence of alcohol. Many of those stories involve the phone-call-that-shouldn’t-be, whether to an ex or a soon-to-be ex. Recently, drunken texting has ruined many a relationship and career. However, as more and more cell phones come with cameras, sexting has taken a flying leap into the realm of things friends shouldn’t let friends do.
A “sext” is a sexual text. Between two sober, consenting adults, it can be a lot of fun. When one or both is under the influence, however, sexting becomes as bad a mistake as physical acts. Sexual text messages are saved for sober eyes the next morning. Suggestive or lewd photos can be even worse to wake up to, especially when sent to a co-worker, boss or ex-lover. After a few drinks, plenty of things seem like a great idea at the time, and the ease with which one can send a sext or picture (tests of drunken dexterity aside) makes the cell phone one of the most damaging objects to carry when drinking.
Sexting is one thing, but that’s not always the vice in mind of drinkers. Theft and vandalism seem to show up just as often. Now, many of us can remember a state of mind in which an object wasn’t nailed down hard enough or the division between “mine and his” was a little blurry. We typically write those off to pranks or stupid mistakes and leave them in the past. With cell phones that post Facebook updates (with pictures!), these mostly-harmless pranks turn into admissions of guilt awfully quick.
Think of the college football team heading out the night before the big game, likely in an altered state, acquiring the opposing team’s mascot. Just one among the bunch has to be proud enough to post a status update, and now the prank has crossed the line. Now, combine this warning with the sexting warning earlier. I don’t want to visualize that status update, you probably don’t want to, and all of that prankster’s internet friends could probably sleep better without it.
Responsible party-goers have long placed car keys into a fishbowl or other safe place to avoid drunken drivers. To all hosts out there: start collecting those cell phones, too! Drunk emails, phone calls, sexts and Facebook posts need to be avoided. Am I speaking from experience? More than I’d like to. Much more.
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