Getting drunk for fun not worth potential risks

Drinking on college campuses is a serious problem. Certain
occasions are worthy of a few drinks, but when a person can’t
be involved in a normal conversation, or seems to think doing his
personal variation of the “monkey dance” is the most
attractive thing in the world, the drinking has gone too far.

A recent study conducted by Harvard University shows that in the
past year, over 50 percent of college students drank alcohol
“for the purpose of getting drunk.” Clearly, there is a
positive connotation involved with getting drunk. Some people think
they have more fun when they are drunk, and others get drunk,
though not admittedly, because their friends do it or because they
think it is the “cool” thing to do. The risk involved
with excessive alcohol consumption, however, is definitely not
worth its perceived benefits.

Drinking alcohol severely impairs your judgment. No matter how
responsible or moral you are, without your judgment in tact, every
decision you make can become an important one.

The most common life-threatening decision people make while
being intoxicated is the decision to drive.

In 2001 alone, 17,748 people died and 513,000 people were
injured in the United States as a result of alcohol-related
accidents. Over the course of their life times, about three in
every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at
some point or another.

But drunk driving is not the only transgression committed by
people under the influence of alcohol. Many students feel free to
get drunk, since they will not be driving and don’t see
themselves as a risk to anyone else. But alcohol is closely
connected to other crimes of a violent nature. According to the
Bureau of Justice Statistics, many more violent crimes are
committed under the influence of alcohol than any other drug.

The most notorious of these violent crimes is know as date or
acquaintance rape. Fifty-five percent of men who have confessed to
committing sexual assault on a date admitted to being under the
influence of alcohol. In addition, 53 percent of the female victims
of sexual assault said they were under the influence of alcohol as
well. The alcohol impairs both the offender, by not allowing him to
make moral judgments, and the victim, by impeding her ability to
respond properly to the sexual advances from the offender.

We use our time in college to grow as individuals. We develop
habits which will stay with us for a lifetime. Excessive drinking
should not be one of those habits. You’re probably thinking
“Those are just extreme cases,” and “None of that
will ever happen to me.” All I can say is you’re right
““ until it does happen to you. Is it really worth the
experience of getting drunk to find out it can?

Getting drunk is definitely not necessary for you to have a good
time. Having a good time depends solely on your mindset. With a
little work on your frame of mind, you can have as good a time
without getting drunk as you do when you are intoxicated. In
addition, you won’t be losing any precious brain cells, and
you’ll have a better recollection of the fun you had. After
all, what would you rather be: a dancing monkey, or a dancing,
vomiting monkey?