Ladies Night is a nightmare. You're welcome to change my mind.

If there's anything most of us love more than drinks, it is free drinks. May it be when someone else is paying or when we are attending what clubs call 'ladies night', it is always an experience that we remember the next day, when we get the most terrible of hangovers.

How I think ladies' night might have come into existence: Decades ago, when clubs used to go empty and dry during weekdays, some patriarchal man must have started the concept of ladies' nights. 

(Ladies Night actually evolved from Harvard-type exclusive clubs where only members were allowed in, but entry for women would be free. Needless to say, alcohol was on the house -- for the women)

Ladies' night has now evolved into a barter system where clubs offer their cheapest, most potent alcohol for free; and in return they expect one thing: more men. And when I say men, I mean alcohol-guzzling men who are supposed to come and pay for overpriced liquor to accompany their female partners or maybe just go there to creep the women out.

Now, why I say ladies night is a nightmare: 

• Worst Hangovers: Boy, do we expect hangovers after a wild night! But the hangovers that we get after ladies nights are the absolute worst. Blame those hard-boht-hard-hitting cocktails and cheap alcohol: during ladies' nights, clubs serve their cheapest liquor possible, mix them in cocktails, and when I say mix them, I mean, pour a gallon into a glass to get us drunk on one cocktail. This of course comes with the side-effect of the worst hangover the next day.

• The morning after is the worst: Because ladies' nights are always in the middle of the week, the awful hangover and hangxiety makes it impossible for us to work or continue with our normal routine the next day (yet, we have to). 

• Worst hours: The idea of having ladies night on a weekday is bad enough; but clubs now have the most annoying timings; hours when we don't want to drink. For instance, most clubs in Noida and Delhi have ladies night from 8 pm to 11 pm (when we want to have dinner or simply start drinking, maybe). So, we mostly end up paying for our drinks at the end because the actual party begins after the free drinks for ladies night is over.

• Worst crowds: For those who believe that ladies night entails a good number of women drinking and partying, this is only partially correct. The ladies nights have now become invitation for men who simply want to be (to be respectful, WINK) spectators; while others who (*cough cough*) end up acting like pure pervs.

Now, let's face it. We won't let problems like cheap alcohol or bad timing keep us from going to a ladies night.

So, here's a handy guide to surviving one:

• Safety first: Always share your live location with your friend, family or whoever you trust and can pick you up from the pub if things go south.
• Pre-booze: If you pre-booze and go to a club, there are chances that you end up drinking less from the cheap alcohol stocks that the club is offering, and which will save you money and a terrible headache.
• Stick together: Try staying within your group, or with people you can trust. 

Do you have a bad ladies-night story? Let us know.