No college experience is complete without splitting a thirty rack with your friends before 4 pm. Day drinking can be ridiculously fun as long as you follow a few pointers.

1. Start Slow, Finish Strong

That’s the motto. Especially if your day drink is truly going to last all day. If you start absolutely pounding shots so that you’re belligerently drunk by noon, you’ll be passed out and miss all the fun stuff later. You want to maintain a good buzz throughout the entire day, so you have a good time, but you’re safe and remember everything too. The last few hours of the day are where you can really let loose. That’s the time to load up on flip cup and take shots with the girls.

2. Dress Appropriately

It’s a day drink. It’s supposed to be casual. If you’re wearing heels, you’ve already done something wrong. Try leggings or jeans, and a sweater. You want to be cool and comfortable since everyone is usually playing drinking games or walking around and mingling. Sunglasses are also a day drink essential – doesn’t matter the season.

3. Pass on the Hard Alcohol

Day drinking is the time for mixed drinks, Twisted Teas, Mike’s Hard, Smirnoff Ice, Strawberritas, Angry Orchards, and beer.

Pro tip: Mimosas make you feel classy and get you the perfect kind of buzz, plus the orange juice hides the taste of poor quality champagne if you’re living on a budget.

4. Water is BAE

Especially if you’re going to be out in the hot sun, you need to be drinking water. The heat will cause you to sweat, which is dehydrating to your body, on top of the dehydration just from drinking alcohol alone. If you don’t drink enough water, you can become dehydrated or get alcohol poisoning, so it’s important to keep your water levels up throughout the entire day.

5. Music is Crucial

Bring speakers and a fully charged iPod. Load it up with tunes people love to vibe to, but not necessarily dance. Don’t play anything super hard or overwhelming. Anything you would listen to while doing homework or at the beach, just some nice background tunes. Also don’t be a bitch if people want to request a song. Let them play it, everyone’s trying to have a good time. Throwbacks are always recommended.

6. Skip the Hookup

This is not the time to go inside and get railed in a random bedroom. Day drinking is casual and about hanging out with your friends and mingling with new people. It’s definitely the time to meet cute boys and get numbers, but the hookups usually do not happen while still day drinking. No judgment if it does, but you want to make sure to enjoy the rest of your day without getting worn out early.

7. You Need to Eat

It’s important to eat while day drinking. Eat at the times you normally would eat lunch or other meals, and make sure to eat something with carbs to help absorb the alcohol – your body will thank you later. Either bring your own snacks, or money to get some. Munchies are essential for day drinking, when shitty food becomes amazing food. Load up on cheesy bread, I dare you.

8. Nap Time is For Adults Too

Nothing is more crucial after a long day of binge drinking than a good nap. Grab a huge bottle of water and some fuzzy pajamas, and hop in bed for a few hours. If you try to keep going from day drinking straight into the night, you’ll become dehydrated and exhausted. This can lead to alcohol poisoning very quickly, so it’s important to take a break in between. Make sure to drink lots of water before your nap, so you can refuel and rehydrate while you’re knocked out.

9. Plan in Advance

Make sure to bring enough alcohol that you and your friends can casually drink all day long without needing to run to the liquor store. You also need to have transportation to and from wherever it is you’ll be day drinking. If you don’t have a friend with a car, or no one wants to DD, take a bus, a cab, or an Uber.

10. Sober Day Drinking is Cool Too

Day drinking is the least pressuring environment in a college atmosphere. If you decide you don’t want to drink, you don’t have to! Pop a Coke can in a koozie and enjoy the music. There’s nothing wrong with being sober, and you should still go to events and have a good time!

Cheers, sluts!