DEAR HARRIETTE: I am scared. I went to a party with a bunch of my college buddies, and we all got crazy drunk. I ended up sleeping with one of the guys at the party. I am so embarrassed. I didn't know him at all. I don't even know his name. Now I'm freaked out. I can't believe how stupid I was. My friends and I haven't mentioned anything about the party or what we did. (A few of my friends ended up in bed with guys from the other school.) Should I just act like nothing happened? -- Scared Sober, Syracuse, N.Y.
DEAR SCARED SOBER: The smartest things you can do are to talk to your friends and to go to the doctor. Gather your friends and tell them that you think it would be good for you to discuss what happened and how to make sure it doesn't happen again. Engaging in reckless behavior as a group and then pretending it away makes the action even more reckless because it can easily be repeated. Agree that you will not make such a dangerous set of mistakes in the future.
By all means, go to the doctor and get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. You may also want to get a pregnancy test, just to be sure of your status. Encourage your friends to do the same.