High School parties could be fun or dangerous. Some may just be with friends, chips, and sodas. Others may have illegal drinking and or illegal drug use.

Most teens trying weed or alcohol for the first time aren’t aware of the affects it has on their body. According to TeenRehabCenter.org, teen alcohol abuse is responsible each year for over 200,000 ER visits and regular marijuana use can cause an IQ drop up to eight points.

“I told my daughter, who is in college, you don’t ever put your drink down and don’t ever grab a drink from someone you don’t know,” Counselor Jill Lauck said. This is something many people know, but maybe don’t pay attention to it in the moment. Reports show most drink spiking happens to girls, one in five times of that happening to guys, according to DrugInfo.adf.org. Spiking someone’s drink means adding a type of alcohol to it or a type of drug when the person isn’t looking, so that the person becomes intoxicated or passed out. People who spike the drinks of others hope to take advantage of their victims in some way.

If you get in a situation and you feel you need to leave, make sure to keep your car keys on you at all times. “If you don’t have a car, make sure you have the uber app (on your phone),” Rider graduate Claire Apple said.

If you and a friend or a group of friends are going to a party with illegal tendencies, make sure you are the designated driver. Being the designated driver means you’re sober so that you and your friends can safely make it home if drinking and/or drug use was done at the party.

If your friends drove to the party, “take their keys from them before anything happens and while they are still in the right state of mind,” Tanya Brown Davis MS, LPC said.

Some who drink or smoke blame peer pressure, while others  claim to do it to “get away”. Some teens dealing with stress or depression will turn towards drugs or alcohol because they may think it’s the best or easiest choice.

If you’re that person, the best way to deal with problems you may be having is through talking to someone. “I would say to talk to a friend, a counselor, or just someone you trust.” Lauck said.

Some teens may find it hard at first to talk to someone about what they’re going through, but for those who have talked to someone found that it helped them.