DEAR HARRIETTE: My assistant of two years will be leaving me soon, and I have a concern. She has been completely loyal for the time she has worked with me, and I appreciate that. She also has all of my passwords and other sensitive information because it was part of her job.

I'm wondering if I should change all of the passwords and the locks, etc. I don't have any reason to believe she would do something to harm me or my business, but if she's not working for me anymore, shouldn't I make it so that she doesn't have access to my records? -- Turning the Page, Seattle

DEAR TURNING THE PAGE: Security specialists typically recommend that passwords for email addresses be changed frequently. At some companies it is mandatory to change them every 90 days. For sure, you should change all of your passwords. You also should change your locks.

It's great that you have had a positive relationship with your assistant. Protecting your files and other assets by updating your security measures in no way reflects on her. So shrug off the notion that you are doing anything wrong.

Celebrate your assistant as she leaves you, and take care of your business as any professional should.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My daughter (a senior in high school) was invited to go on spring break with friends from her high school. They are going to Florida. I keep hearing the news reports of wild teenagers getting in trouble at those kinds of things, and I am nervous.

My daughter tends to be very well-behaved, and she talks to me about her friends and her life all the time. But I know peer pressure can be hard to resist. I don't want to tell my daughter "no," but I'm also concerned. How can I make a decision? -- Worried, Washington, D.C.

DEAR WORRIED: I fully understand your concern. Peer pressure is real, and sometimes even the best behaved of the bunch can buckle under it. That said, your daughter is at the age where she is about to be on her own. Hopefully, you have taught her along the way about the importance of making smart decisions.

Sit down with your daughter and talk to her about the upcoming trip. Ask her to tell you what she thinks the activities will be. Ask if she has any concerns about what may happen on the trip. Express your concerns about what you have heard happens at some spring break activities. Ask her what she thinks she will do if her peers begin to participate in activities that might be dangerous.

Don't grill your daughter; just talk. Tell her you trust her, and remind her that it can be hard to make smart choices when others are doing other things. Remind her that she can always pick up the phone and call you, at any time of day or night, if she needs help.

(Lifestylist and author Harriette Cole is president and creative director of Harriette Cole Media. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: My boyfriend is very religious, as is his family. He goes to church every Sunday. I was raised relatively religious, but I don't really practice anything anymore. I don't enjoy going to church, but I feel like it would be a nice gesture. Would he appreciate my going to church with him even if I don't feel the same way about religion that he does? -- Secular Girl, Miami

DEAR SECULAR GIRL: This is tricky. Your boyfriend likely would appreciate your making the effort to go to church with him if it means you might rediscover your faith. But to go to church just to make him happy, without having any interest in accessing your own spirituality, is insincere. That doesn't mean you should not go.

I recommend you take the time to reflect on your religious values and beliefs. Ask yourself why you don't enjoy going to church. Contemplate why you are interested in this man who is deeply religious, and whether there's a future for you as a couple if he and his family have very different religious views from you.

These things are worth considering, because religious beliefs figure prominently into people's relationships when religion is important to them. Couples can have healthy relationships even when one does not share the same faith or is not as zealous as the other, but I assure you it is generally easier if both are on the same page religiously.

So, talk with your boyfriend about your religious views. And go to church with him if you are willing to see if there's something there for you, too.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend recently partied hard one night and ended up very drunk and almost had to be taken to the hospital. His boyfriend also was very drunk and was taken to the hospital.

Both of them are fine now, and after intense hangovers they don't seem to understand the severity of what they almost got themselves into. My friend wasn't able to walk on his own without falling, and I had to help him.

How can I get them to understand that what happened was serious and that, had it been a little worse, there could have been dire consequences? -- Worried, Jackson, Mississippi

DEAR WORRIED: You have every reason to be alarmed by your friends' behavior. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 79,000 people die each year because of excessive drinking. That is a staggering number. Binge drinking for a man can be five or more drinks, while heavy drinking for a man starts at two drinks daily. Honestly, though, it's relative based upon a person's height, weight and tolerance for alcohol.

It is dangerous to drink excessively. The body cannot handle it. Scare your friends into taking it seriously by telling them the stats. That may help.

(Lifestylist and author Harriette Cole is president and creative director of Harriette Cole Media. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have two best friends. From my understanding, one maid of honor is enough. All three of us are extremely close. What's the deciding factor? Who should I pick? I've known them both equally as long. -- Patricia, Harrisonburg, Virginia

DEAR PATRICIA: Guess what? You don't have to follow tradition on this one. If you have two best friends, why not make both of them your maids of honor? List them in the program that way, and claim them both as the two women you want to bestow with that honorific.

In terms of who stands directly next to you, make it easy on yourself and put the person who is the tallest or the shortest at your side. Or select another fact, such as who was born first or something else that is neutral. And explain your reasons to them for the "neutrality." Emphasize that you would like to bestow the role of maid of honor on both of them. Then divide up the duties that you would have them handle or ask them to work on their responsibilities together.

DEAR HARRIETTE: At a happy-hour networking event, is it wrong to meet a CEO with a drink your hand? I was introduced to this important professional who was hanging by the bar with a mixed drink. I had a drink in my hand as well. Was this OK? -- Minnie, New York City

DEAR MINNIE: If you are both in a bar, the chances are likely that you both could have drinks in your hands when you meet someone. What's best when you meet someone, whether you have food or drink, is to put the item down and shake hands while making eye contact. This is why it's never good to be carrying both food and drink. Then you have no hands free for shaking.

Don't beat yourself up about this, but do remain mindful to maintain your composure, especially if you are at a bar or other venue where people are drinking. Alcohol has a way of creeping up on people. What you want to avoid is demonstrating behavior that does not reflect you in the way you wish to be seen. That is far more important than whether you have a drink in your hand or not.

As far as meeting executives (or anyone, for that matter), be pleasant and speak clearly. Be sure to say one thing about yourself that you think might interest the person. And be sure to ask something of the person so you have a tidbit that you can remember in the future. If you meet someone with whom you would like to stay in touch, follow up with an email or call, and insert in your communication that tidbit that will spark the person's memory in a positive way about your initial meeting.

(Lifestylist and author Harriette Cole is president and creative director of Harriette Cole Media. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)