Envision a fun night out with friends — you arrive at the pre-game and sip on some drinks, maybe a Carbliss or possibly a beer (if that’s your kind of beverage). Once the alcohol begins to flow, you gather all of your friends together to head out.
Your friend group is looking forward to a night full of laughs while you wander around the city and arrive at a bar or house party. As the night goes on — abracadabra! your friend vanishes. We all know the feeling of turning around in an overheating dimly lit room with flashing lights and 2010s pop music and wondering, “Where did they go?” The recurring phenomenon of the “Houdini friend” has taken over a night out yet again.
The Houdini friend can be defined as someone we leave the house with and never end up seeing for the rest of the night.
Sometimes this friend is known to disappear like this every time, and it has become routine to wonder where they’ll end up. Whether they run off to a different bar without any heads up, or if their Irish goodbye feels as though they weren’t there to begin with, this magician-like friend is not an uncommon archetype. They’re the equivalent of a magician—but drunker.
What is their motive? Why is this someone we have all dealt with before? See, the Houdini friend is looking for more than a regular night out. They are searching for a side quest to fuel their alcohol-driven motivations.
These journeys can include going on a walk down a dark and empty street off campus, or maybe wandering off with a new set of friends. They may claim to be “free spirited” and say that they want to explore whatever they can, “just for the plot.” And while this friend will (most likely) end up back home safe, they won’t let you know about their side quest until the morning after.
If this article has made you realize that you are the Houdini friend, don’t panic. There are many ways to help this problem next time you take a night out on the town!
First, remember that your friends will drunkenly worry about you. They’ll probably text you constantly and attempt to track you down just to make sure you’re safe. Don’t make their evening more stressful by disappearing!
Second, make sure you turn on all location settings for your friends. Whether you feel the need to jump into the Library Mall water fountain or stop in a frat party at the age of 20, make sure your besties know where you’ll be at all times.
Next time you have an urge to go ahead and vanish into the night, go for it — just don’t forget to reappear in the group chat by morning.
