• Tell your friend when they’ve had one too many and offer them a glass of water.
• Don’t let your friend put lives at risk by driving home drunk. Take away the keys.
• Don’t let a friend pass out in an unfamiliar place. If you can’t take him or her home yourself, make sure someone trustworthy gives them a ride.
• Don’t sacrifice safety just to stay out of trouble. Call 911 when an unconscious individual is in need of medical attention. Signs include:
  • Vomiting
  • Seizures
  • Slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths per minute)
  • Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin color, paleness
• Don’t assume someone else will do something. Use the above suggestions and act before it goes too far! 

Looking after a drunken lush, cleaning up vomit, and breaking up fights is never a fun way to spend a weekend. A friend isn’t afraid to tell you when your drinking is outta control and it’s time to get some help. Sometimes, just saying something can make all the difference.

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How can you tell? If your friend seems isolated, hopeless, unconcerned about the future, engaging in risky behavior, giving away personal belongings, or has talked, wrote, sang, or drawn about suicide or death, your friend may be considering suicide. Don’t wait for things to get better, do something now:

• Ask your friend if they have been thinking about suicide.
• Encourage your friend to tell their parents, residence hall staff, or any other supportive person.
• Offer to go with your friend to see a counselor.
• Remove items that may assist them with suicide.
• If your friend won’t tell anyone, do something. YOU should tell someone, anyone. If you live in a residence hall, talk to your RA. If you live in a fraternity or sorority house, talk to the president. If you live off campus, talk to a family member or call the student advocate.
  
  

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If your friend seems depressed most of the day; sleeps all the time or never sleeps; loses their appetite or eats too much; has trouble making decisions or concentrating; feels worthless, hopeless, or guilty; abuses drugs or alcohol; or talks about death or suicide they might be depressed.

• Talk to your friend. Tell them you’re concerned and listen to their responses.
• Don’t tell them to snap out of it, and don’t blame your friend. Depression is not a personal weakness.
• Tell someone immediately if your friend is self-medicating.
• Get your friend walking, to the gym, or for a run. Encourage physical activity.
• Offer to go with your friend to see a counselor.
• If your friend won’t tell anyone, do something. YOU should tell someone, anyone. If you live in a residence hall, talk to your RA. If you live in a fraternity or sorority house, talk to the president. If you live off campus, talk to a family member or call the student advocate.
  
  

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Body dissatisfaction; food-, calorie-, exercise-, or weight-obsessed; weight fluctuations; food avoidance; moodiness; secret eating; excessive eating; social withdrawal; and a fixation with body size or image may all be signs that your friend has an eating disorder.

Don’t wait for things to get better, do something now:

• Learn more about different eating disorders. (http://f2f.health.arizona.edu/topics_body_image_descriptions.htm).
• Express your concern. Expect resentment, but be sympathetic.
• Be supportive: offer to help your friend talk to a trusted individual like a family member or professional.
• Don’t counsel your friend, monitor food, or nag.
• Offer to go with your friend to see a counselor.
• If your friend won’t tell anyone, do something. YOU should tell someone, anyone. If you live in a residence hall, talk to your RA. If you live in a fraternity or sorority house, talk to the president. If you live off campus, talk to a family member or call the student advocate.

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• Call 9-1-1 if you are in immediate danger.
• Notify the Dean of Students Office, a residence hall advisor, a faculty member or another person in a position of authority.
• Try to convince your friend to get help through anger management classes, support groups, or counseling.
• Suggest that your friend avoid places and situations that normally cause their violent behaviors.
• Don’t be a hero. If intervening in the violent situation will put you in danger, you need to get out of there. Head to a safe place, then notify the proper authorities.
• Notify someone IMMEDIATELY if a friend talks about a detailed plan to commit violence.

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• Know the law! If alcohol is present, consent is not.
  
  
• Pressuring someone to have sex is not consent. If someone is unsure about what is happening, then it’s time to back off.
  
  
• If your friend has a date who is drunk, say something! Let them know it’s not a good time to put the moves on.
  
  
• If your friend is wasted, do something. Let their partner know your friend is too drunk to mess around, and help your friend get home safely.
  
  

It may feel awkward, but one difficult conversation can prevent a lifetime of confusion, hurt and distress for all parties involved.

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Abuse of prescription painkillers now ranks second – only behind marijuana – as the nation’s most prevalent illegal drug problem. Taking higher than prescribed doses of prescription drugs is dangerous. The results are compounded when someone mixes prescription drugs with alcohol, which can intensify the effects. Signs a friend may be abusing prescription drugs include:

• Stealing, forging or selling prescriptions
• Taking higher doses than prescribed
• Excessive mood swings
• Increase or decrease in sleep
• Poor decision-making
• Appearing unusually energetic or sedated
• Continually "losing" prescriptions so more prescriptions must be written
• Seeking prescriptions from more than one doctor

Your friend may not think taking an extra pill or drinking on medication is a big deal, but what happens when he or she doesn’t wake up in the morning? If you recognize signs that your friend is abusing prescription drugs, encourage them to get help before it’s too late. If they refuse, do something and call someone.

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By now, most students are educated on the effects of illegal drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, amphetamines, and LSD. Of course, learning about the effects of a drug and recognizing signs of illegal drug use in a friend are two very different things. The effects of stimulants, narcotics, hallucinogens, and “downers” such as marijuana vary widely, but general signs include:

• Increased attitude changes (depression or anger)
• Neglecting responsibilities
• Changing friends or changing lifestyles
• Decline in physical appearance
• Drop in school performance
• Exhibiting high-risk behavior, such as stealing or sexual promiscuity
• Presence of drugs or paraphernalia (e.g. cigarette papers, pipes, clips, spoons)

If you think a friend might have an issue with illegal drugs, encourage them to get help. If your friend says everything is under control, stress the consequences such as jail time, loss of financial aid, and the embarrassment that comes with having a criminal record. Whatever you do, do something.

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