A Beginner’s Guide to Clubbing Safely in 2025

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Vic chapter.

As you and your friends prepare for a fun New Year’s Eve out, filled with dancing, music, and life-long memories, it’s essential that you also prepare for all the dangers that can come with a night out on the town. Whether it’s your first time hitting the dancefloor or you’re a seasoned partygoer, knowing how to navigate the night responsibly is key. This guide includes essential general, drinking, and drug safety tips so you can have a blast with reduced risk. Let’s make New Year’s Eve a night to remember—but for all the right reasons!

General Safety 

Plan Ahead

Planning ahead, although sometimes seemingly silly in the grand scheme of a night out, can actually save you from sticky situations. Planning can include a ride home, a code word to get you and your friends out of uncomfortable situations, and a meeting place if a member of your group gets lost. 

Many cities offer services to drive you and your car home to avoid DUIs. One service in Canada is called the ‘Safe Designated Drivers’ which sends two drivers to you, one to drive you and your car home and another to pick up the driver following your safe arrival. Available across Canada, this paid service can assist you in planning ahead or in case of a sticky situation! Besides this ride service, other safe ways home include Ubers, taxis, and transit systems that can assure you a safe way back to your bed at the end of the night! Don’t take the risk, plan how you will get home. 

Go With Friends

Safety in numbers may sound cheesy, but going out with people you trust can create a safer experience on your night out. We recommend going out with your friends and staying with them, or agreeing to a meeting place if you happen to split up during the night. Although TikTok has recently been fraught with stories of how intoxicated sprinting has become a fun pastime for many young adults, running away from your friends can put you in unsafe situations. Save the track and field sports to the professionals, and stick with your group to stay safe!

Drink Safety 

Drink Spiking 

Spiked drinks have been a rising concern in both Canada and America, but little has been done to tackle the issue. At the University of Victoria (UVIC), a PSA was sent out to all students warning of the rise of drink spiking but no further information was provided. Drug-facilitated sexual assault has also risen in occurrence in tandem with drink spiking, which primarily affects women. With this alarming information in hand, we strongly urge those who are going out this New Year’s and in the future to stay wary of this threat and take steps to avoid coming in contact with drink spiking.

Awareness of drink-spiking is often not enough. Going with friends and planning ahead can decrease the likelihood of experiencing drink-spiking, but there are also more concrete ways to avoid the threat. One such action is simply testing your drinks for drugs if you fear they may have been tampered with. Testing kits are available in all types of forms and are easily transportable in a purse on your body. These tests include kits in the form of wristbands, test strips, stickers, and more.  

Another way to avoid drink-spiking is cup covers. These covers often come in the form of a wrist scrunchy, which can be unravelled and placed on any size of glass with a hole in the middle to place a straw through. Although a simple step to avoid being drugged, it can be a life-saving one. 

Know Your Limits 

Knowing your limits with alcohol can also be a helpful step in staying safe. Recording how many drinks you have, remembering to eat before your night out, drinking water between alcoholic drinks, and paying attention to your body are all important steps in making sure your night goes to plan. 

Drug Safety 

Drug Testing 

If you or your friends are going to use drugs, it’s important that you use them safely. One of the best ways to do that is through testing your drugs for life-threatening substances such as fentanyl. 

There are two ways that this can be done: at a drug-checking site or with testing strips. Drug-checking sites use a sample of your substances to have a thorough understanding of what is actually in your sample, including “active ingredients, fillers or cutting agents, any unexpected drugs, and the presence of fentanyl.” Testing strips are less fancy but still get the job done; allowing a user to quickly check their own substances for the presence of fentanyl. Testing your drugs is a must because consuming even 2 mg of fentanyl can be deadly. 

The British Columbia Centre on Substance Use has a resource that allows you to find a British Columbian drug-checking site near you. For those in Victoria, you can access drug-checking services through Substance (UVic), located on Cook Street. As for testing strips, there are many places you can get these—including UVic’s Harm Reduction Centre, online, or other local organizations. 

Overdose Prevention

Wait, what is naloxone? Naloxone––also commonly referred to by the brand name Narcan––is a medication that is used to reverse or reduce the effects of an opioid overdose. As Canada faces an ongoing opioid crisis, it’s so important that people carry life-saving medication such as naloxone, especially in drug-frequent spaces such as the club, and know how to react in the event of an overdose. Remember, if you suspect an overdose is in progress, always call 9-1-1 immediately.

There are many resources available for you to learn how to use naloxone, including online training through Take Home Naloxone Training, or in-person training through third-party organizations. So, how can you get naloxone? Towards the Heart is a branch of the BC Centre for Disease Control. This organization has a useful resource called Find A Site, which allows you to find a pharmacy or a Take Home Naloxone (THN) site that distributes naloxone to the public. 

For UVic students, the Harm Reduction Centre offers naloxone kits free of charge and anonymously. The University of Victoria Student Society (UVSS) and the Graduates Students Society also offer naloxone training at various times throughout the year. More information is available on the UVic’s website under “Harm Reduction”. 

Dance into 2024 with confidence now that safety is a part of your party plan. By staying aware of your surroundings, being cautious with any drinks or substances you consume, and looking out for yourself and your friends, you can ensure that the night is filled with nothing but good times. So, here’s to an amazing New Year’s celebration, and cheers to a night filled with both fun and safety!