The other week, I did my good deed for the year. I helped out a lad who was wandering in the midst of Hyde Park after being abandoned by his friends. People baffle me sometimes. Admittedly, it is easy to have a drink too many. However, when I see a friend who is slightly worse for wear, I switch flips, and I know to be the sensible one. Understandably, drunk people are hard to control. They can run off and be lost in the crowd in the blink of an eye. It is how you react to this though, which is the test of a good friend.

Some might think I am being melodramatic when I say this, but the boy that stumbled drunkenly into my life a couple nights ago – incomprehensible and alone – needs to reassess his friends. How could you leave your friend in that state? Somehow, this boy managed to make his way from the middle of town all the way to the corner of Hyde Park Pub. He had no idea where he was, where he had been, or how to look after himself. Once again, it might sound clichéd, but he could have been seriously injured. It is commonplace to assume that everything will be fine if you get separated from your mates but it could so easily not be. You could get completely lost, fall down a ditch, or get robbed. When walking home alone, you are potentially putting yourself in danger.

My friend and I were on our way home when we encountered the boy. After finally managing to get in contact with his one of his friends, we had to then walk him from Hyde Park to Halo. It was like walking with Bambi in the scene where he steps onto the frozen pond. What frustrated me though was not the fact this boy was so drunk (and slightly rude), but was that someone should have taken responsibility for him. When we finally got him back to his friends – who didn’t seem very drunk at all – they were very nonchalant and indifferent at the fact their friend had put himself in serious danger. “Oh John!” was their blasé reply after I informed them that I had found him wandering helplessly in the middle of a busy road. I know John’s poor decisions were not their fault but some recognition of the severity of what I had said was required.

If we had left wasted John to stagger on, his night could have taken a turn for the worst, and none of his friends would have known until the morning. So I implore you to look after your mates! It might be annoying to be stuck with a drunk friend on a night out, but the important word there is ‘friend’. You are supposed to care about their wellbeing and make them your priority.