Rules, rules, rules. Surely you had enough of them at school? Now that you're grown up, isn't all that in the past? Alas, no. If you want to stay safe and healthy and in one piece, there are certain things in your life that you should never do.

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Staying with abusive partners. A man who hits you has a problem – most likely an insoluble one. Nothing you change in your behaviour is going to elicit a different response from him. Do you really feel like living the rest of your life feeling as if you're walking on eggshells? Reclaim your life, be strong, and for your own sake and that of your children, get out.

Walking alone in the dark. There is a difference between rescuing your cat from a kitty brawl in front of your house and walking home two kilometers in the dark from a party. If you have no transport, rather stay where you are than walk home alone or get into a car with a drunk driver. Many rapists in South Africa are opportunistic criminals. They go for obvious targets, like women walking alone at night. (You do, of course, also find the stalker types and those who attack women in their homes. But don't make yourself an obvious target by walking around alone in the dark.)

Having unsafe sex. No matter how overcome you are by passion, never consider having unprotected sex with someone, unless it's your partner that you know is HIV-negative. HIV is not the only STI that you can get – there are several other nasties doing the rounds.

Accepting shoddy service. If service staff are rude, complain to a manager. Don't take bad service lying down – you are a paying customer and deserve to be treated well. If you don't make noise about bad service, you, and other customers, will be treated in the same manner again.

Cancelling medical insurance. Even if you cannot afford anything more than a basic hospital plan, carry on paying it. Nothing (except a massive gambling spree) can cripple your finances more greatly than a lengthy hospital stay after a car accident or triple bypass surgery. Even if you only have hospital insurance after day three of your stay, that's fine.

Leaving your handbag on the passenger seat. By doing this you are attracting the attention of potential smash-and-grab thieves. Put it on the floor at your feet, or in the boot of the car. Also keep your windows closed. Smash-and-grab thieves are also opportunistic criminals and will attack those who look like easy or unwary targets.

Taking drugs. This is never a good idea. Not only does it destroy your health and your relationships, but it also costs a lot of money. Everybody who starts taking drugs, thinks they have control over it – no one plans to end up dead in a public toilet. And yet, that does happen to people.

Hitchhiking. Hitchhiking is like playing Russian Roulette – only more dangerous. You know nothing about the person or people in the car giving you a lift. They may very well have a criminal record the length of the N2 highway. Many a person who was never seen again was last seen getting into a car with a stranger. If you're stuck somewhere, either stay where you are, try and get a taxi or phone someone to come and fetch you.

Drinking and driving. An alarmingly high percentage of vehicle accidents involve a drunk driver or pedestrian. When you get behind your steering wheel in an intoxicated state, you not only endanger yourself, but also everyone else on the road. Stop and think for a moment how a culpable homicide conviction would change your life. Either learn to drink less, or not at all, or get someone else to drive. Or stay exactly where you are.

Giving anyone your ATM pin. Many a trusting person has given their ATM pin to what they thought was a friend or even a partner, never to see either of the two again, or to suddenly find huge wads of cash missing from their accounts.

Doing things for others they should be doing for themselves. You're not only doing harm to yourself by doing this, but also to them. If you do things for them they could and should be doing for themselves, you are basically passing a motion of no-confidence in the other person.

Eating junk food regularly. A doughnut a week won't kill you, but a doughnut a day may just. Don't get into the junk food habit. It may be convenient, but if you take into account what it does to you in the long run, there is nothing convenient about it at all.

Giving lifts to strangers. Not even if they look perfectly harmless. Many homicidal maniacs have looked perfectly charming. Rather risk seeming rude than to take a chance with your own safety.

Starting smoking. Many smokers who are struggling to kick the habit really wish they had never started. Nicotine is a very addictive substance and once you're hooked, it's really difficult to stop. It 's just so much easier never to start in the first place.

Leaving your cellphone at home. Even if you're going to the shop on the corner, if you're by yourself, you should have it with you – and it should be loaded. Cellphones are not really social instruments, they're emergency measures. Imagine breaking down by the side of the road and not being able to contact anyone for help. Relying on the help of strangers is not the wisest thing to do.

(Susan Erasmus, Health24)

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