Halloween is my favorite holiday.
If you know me, you know there is nothing that makes me happier than October, when Spirit Halloween stores take the place of abandoned Kmart stores, the smell of pumpkin spice fills the air and my TikTok feed is flooded once again with “Over the Garden Wall” and “Scream” edits.
It’s an exciting time for young and old alike with many festivities and parties to celebrate the haunted holiday, and there is nothing like dressing up in goofy costumes and having fun with your friends on Halloween night.
Sometimes, however, festivities can go too far. As with most holidays, many people let loose on Halloween by drinking alcohol. While one or two drinks are alright, binge drinking can have severe consequences.
According to nhtsa.gov, fatal car crashes involving drunk drivers occur three times more on Halloween than on New Year’s Eve. Alcohol.org reports that Halloween ranks fifth for holidays with the most alcohol consumption, with 9.3% of men and 6.6% of women reporting to have blacked out while celebrating.
With multiple ways of getting alcohol fast and easy, like at mixers and house parties, it is easy for college students to succumb to this statistic.
Fortunately, there are many ways to have a fun, safe and sober Halloween.
If you want to party but avoid the temptation of alcohol, one option is to throw your own Halloween get-together and offer other traditional fall drinks, such as apple cider and hot cocoa. You can even make mocktails. To make everyone happy, be sure to serve yummy-themed snacks with your drinks, like mummy hot dogs, “witch fingers,” and caramel apples.
If you want to go out, consider going to a haunted house. Going to a haunted house on Halloween night all dressed up and in the spirit of the season makes for an unforgettable experience. A newer alternative to haunted houses for fraidy cats like me takes the form of haunted car washes, which are the same as haunted houses except you’re in the comfort and safety of your vehicle.
If you’re a homebody, watching scary movies is a great option to enjoy the holiday without ever leaving your own house — invite friends over and watch scary movies together; the first person to scream, close their eyes or throw the popcorn bowl has to be crowned the baby of the night.
Other fun activities you can do at home with your friends include costume contests, jack-o-lantern carving and bobbing for apples. My favorite party activity is trivia, which can be customized to cover everything from horror movies to the history of Halloween.
Passing out candy to trick-or-treaters is another fun and simple activity, you’ll be delighted to see the types of costumes people come up with as well as cute kids who will do anything just for one more piece.
You can have fun without alcohol during Halloween. That’s not to say that if you can’t if you’re 21 or older, just remember to be responsible.
The real Halloween memories we make are the ones we make with our friends, not with alcohol, no matter how festive spirits sound.