Tequila Thursday is a weekly tradition with my friends and I down here, following Wacky Wednesdays, which is directly proceeded by Funky Fridays. If you’re thinking it should be Tequila Tuesdays, you’ve completely missed the point of Tequila Thursday.

While the whole idea is to go hard, I’ve begun to notice a startling trend: Girls just can’t hold their booze. And while there’s a reason people say “You drink like a girl” when they’re trying to call you out, it worries me just how few of my female friends (and some of my guy friends) can drink without becoming a sloppy mess. While the end of quarter is still a few weeks away, it’s never too early to take in some tips on how to drink like a pro.

First, it’s not how much you drink, it’s what you drink. Tequila Thursdays are all about tequila, so you’re not going to see me mixing it up with vodka or Jager and confusing my stomach.

Different types of alcohol have different alcohol content and, in turn, your body reacts to each type differently. Maybe you can knock back eight shots of tequila in an hour, no problem, but that doesn’t mean you can down four shots of tequila and four shots of whiskey with the same effect. Pick a drink and stick to it and you’ll be much better for it in the end.

Second, water is your friend. Even if you’re going out with the express intent to get drunk, you still want to be drinking water. You know what creates that nasty headache the next morning? Dehydration, especially if you’re drinking drinks with sugary mixers. My rule is a glass of water after every three drinks, but that’s a system I’ve carefully mastered and your ratio might be different. I also like to leave a full bottle of water by my bed before I go out for the night, just to remind myself to drink up before I hit the sack.

Third and finally, you’re not drinking to impress anyone. This is where girls tend to miss the boat. While most guys seem to know their limits (even if they choose to exceed them), girls always think they can drink as much as they want with no consequences, getting selective memory for how much pain they were in the week before.

Drink what you can, and stop when you’re drunk. Or even before you’re drunk, if you’re going to be smart about it. There’s no prize for being the biggest mess at the end of the night. If someone honestly cares how much you can drink, and judges you by that amount, that person has some serious time on their hands and you should think about helping them take up a hobby. I hear knitting is nice.

Claire Delahorne works as a copy editor for the Clarion. She is currently studying abroad in Australia, where she serves as a correspondent for all things regarding sexuality and culture.