Campfires, Cottage Weekends, and Good Vibes: A Few Ways to Keep Summer Safe

August makes every weekend feel like it should be spent outside. 🌲🏕️

Whether you’re headed to a cottage, camping with friends, hanging out at the beach, or ending the night around a campfire, this is the season for making memories before classes start again.

For a lot of people, alcohol or cannabis might be part of those plans. If that’s your thing, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to relax and have fun. The key is making choices that help everyone get home safely and remember the good parts of the weekend.

Campfires + substances = a little extra caution 🔥🍻

Campfires are a summer classic, but they also come with real risks. Alcohol and cannabis can both affect your balance, coordination, reaction time, and judgment. All things you rely on when there’s an open flame nearby.

That doesn’t mean you have to avoid the campfire altogether. It just means giving yourself a little more space if you’re pairing your s’mores with a beer.

A few simple habits can make a big difference:

• Sit instead of standing close to the fire.
• Keep a bit of distance from the flames, especially if you’re feeling the effects.
• Avoid throwing things into the fire (yes, even if it seems funny in the moment).
• If you’re building or putting out the fire, it’s best to stay sober until the job is done.

If you’re using cannabis, start low and go slow 🍃🐌

Not all cannabis products affect you the same way, and edibles can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to kick in making it all too easy to think nothing’s happening and take more, only to have everything hit at once later in the evening.

If you’re trying something new or using a stronger product than usual:

• Start with a small amount.
• Give it plenty of time before deciding whether you want more.
• Everyone’s tolerance is different, don’t try to play keep-up with your friends.

Never mix cannabis and alcohol. Stick with one or the other since using both together can make the effects less predictable and increase your chances of feeling sick or overly intoxicated.

Hydration is underrated 🌊🍉

Spending the day in the sun, swimming, hiking, or playing sports can leave you dehydrated before you even open a drink.

Alternating alcoholic drinks with water, bringing extra water on hikes or beach days, and remembering to eat throughout the day can help you feel better during the night (and the next morning).

Have a plan before the fun starts 📝✅

The perfect buzzkill to the perfect weekend? Trying to figure out a safe ride home at 1 a.m.

Before everyone settles in around the fire, it helps to know:

• Who’s driving (and staying sober).
• Where everyone is sleeping.
• How you’ll get home if plans change.
• Who has a charged phone in case someone needs help.

Having a plan ahead of time means
you can spend less time stressing later.

Look out for your friends 👀🫂

One of the easiest forms of harm reduction is simply paying attention to each other.

Check in if someone seems quieter than usual, is having trouble staying awake, or doesn’t seem like themselves. If someone has had too much to drink or is having an uncomfortable experience with cannabis, stay with them, help them get somewhere safe, and don’t leave them alone.

It’s also completely normal to skip the alcohol or cannabis altogether. Whether someone is driving, working the next morning, taking medication, training for a sport, or just not feeling it, no explanation should be required.

Keep the memories, not the injuries 🤩🍻

Summer adventures are usually remembered for the sunsets, late-night conversations, and stories you’ll laugh about all year, not for trips to the emergency department or losing a phone in the fire.
At the end of the day, summer safety isn’t about telling people what they should or shouldn’t do. It’s about making it easier to keep the good times rolling, while lowering the chances that one decision turns a super summer weekend into a super stressful one.

So, grab your camp chair, pack the marshmallows, bring lots of water, and look out for each other. Here’s to finishing the summer with great memories and making it back to campus safely.