Drinking? Don’t over-do it!

College students drink.

There’s no denying that, and I’m not here to tell you not to. I just want you to remember to be a responsible drinker.

Think about your family and friends before you go out and get so hammered you end up in the hospital or even worse, dead. Your family cares too much about you for that. As cliché as this all sounds, it’s true.

We’ve all heard speaker after speaker come talk to us when we were in high school about drinking and how much damage drinking can do.

They usually explain their sob story about either their family or them personally getting so drunk that something traumatic happens. Then they explain how that traumatic experience forces them into sobriety, which is fantastic, but that doesn’t happen to everyone.

I don’t want to be here telling you “Don’t drink! Don’t drink! Don’t drink!” because it’s your life and you can do as you please, but drinking safely isn’t just for yourself, it’s for those innocent people around you as well. What I want to do is make sure you do drink responsibly.

The first thing is to always make sure you drink with someone you trust. Don’t go to a party alone. This person you trust should know your limit and be man enough to tell you when you’ve had enough. This person is better if they don’t drink themselves, but that isn’t a necessary qualification.

Also, this person should not pressure you to drink, or to drink more, you need to be comfortable with this person. Your friend should be someone who does care for you and won’t abandon you when you need them.

The second thing is to make sure you have a safe ride home. This could be the same buddy who knows your limit, if they aren’t drinking, or someone you call when you are ready to go home. This person should be the most important person in your phone.

If you aren’t able to get ahold of anyone to take you home, I was told to call a funeral home. The mortician who told me this said, “We are a 24-hour business and we’d much rather pick you up alive at a bar instead of dead in the middle of the road.”

The final thing, the thing that has been said over and over, is the importance of getting and opening your own drinks. Do not accept drinks from strangers and don’t accept drinks from anyone unless you know 100 percent that it hasn’t been messed with.

Also never leave your drinks unattended for any reason. If you accidently do leave your drink, do not go back to that drink, get a new one.

You may be wondering why I, an 18 year old freshman who has never tasted alcohol except the wine at church, cares about you and your drinking.

I’ve seen too many friends and family members make stupid choices while drinking and they didn’t have anyone around to help them out after.

I am here to tell you that if you ever need the buddy I mentioned above, or a friend to call to get you home, I’ll be that person. Similar to what that mortician told me, I’d rather pick you up drunk at a bar than read your obituary in the newspaper.