Elanso

For my 21st birthday I went out to the bar like many young adults do for that big birthday. I went with some friends and my boyfriend (now husband). I drank way too much beer and way too many shots. We stayed in a hotel that night and the next morning I walked out in to the sun with my boyfriend and friends and instantly threw up in the bushes. The sun was just too bright for my hungover self. That whole day I was miserable. I remember trying to give my nine-month-old son a bath and trying not to throw up while he played in the water. I was a mess. And not very smart.

Last week I read an article in the NY Times about young adults drinking 21 drinks for their 21st birthday. 21 DRINKS?!? WOW! That’s a lot. I’m pretty sure I never came close to 21 drinks on my 21st birthday and I was clearly way too drunk. These young people obviously have no clue how dangerous this binge drinking is.

Although the article is great and a real eye-opener about this new issue, what I really liked was one of the comments. This commenter had suggestions for celebrating the big day without killing brain cells.

Maybe you can convince your friends to pool their money and buy a few great bottles of champagne and caviar and share a single quality toast with your friends. Or try some other indulgence or feat — a 21 minute massage, make all your friends do 21 pushups, take one bite out of 21 different pieces of chocolate, eat 21 pieces of sushi or taste 21 desserts, kiss 21 cute boys, do 21 good deeds and take a Polaroid to capture each one…– there are so many fun ideas to mark that day that don’t involve excessive alcohol and the great thing is you will remember every minute of your 21st birthday.

I love these ideas and have even thought of a few more.

• Give the birthday boy or girl 21 small gifts
• Try to stuff 21 big marshmallows in your mouth
• Try to squeeze 21 people in to your [parked] car
• Tell 21 people it’s your 21st birthday
• Have a scavenger hunt all over town to find 21 items
• Make a scrapbook with 21 big memories
• List 21 things you love about your child or friend
• Visit 21 places you loved as a child (a special park, favorite museum, old restraurant, etc)
• Write 21 letters to 21 people who have influenced your life

What ideas do you have?

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