Summer: Go crazy, drink in moderation

With summer vacation just around the corner, one can feel the excitement and longing for summer days with nothing to do but have fun.

For many, having fun includes going to parties where drinking alcohol will be involved. The fun ends there for some.

A little over half of the  American population ages 12 and over are current drinkers of alcohol.

The fact is that alcohol is easy to acquire. For some it's as easy as opening a cabinet at home, while for others the only task is handing cash off to someone of age.

It is true that many can drink "responsibly"; drinking in moderation, not driving while under the influence, and avoiding the emergency room. However, problems arise when the drinking gets out of control and someone ends up seriously ill, hospitalized, or dead.

It is common to walk into a party and see a guy doing a keg stand, or a girl drinking from a beer bong, both of which involve "chugging" beer at an extremely accelerated rate.

In some cases beer pong proves to be too boring, and shot pong seems to be the better option.

Some drink so much that they become belligerently drunk, do things they won't ever remember, throw up on someone's shoes, and black-out. 

I'm sure that many reading this can recall seeing all of these examples at least once at a party they have attended, if they haven't done one or more of these things themselves.

To the average student, the dangers of alcohol abuse seem unreal. We feel that horrible things only happen on television shows or in movies. This is where the issue starts. 

If students were more aware of how many alcohol-related accidents and deaths occur among campuses around the nation, maybe they would take the responsibility of safe drinking a little more seriously.

In a study compiled by compelledtoact.com, one can see the frequency of deaths that occur on college campuses due to drinking that are reported by the media. Not all of the deceased were underage, but the number is still frightening.

On March 21, 2010, 19-year old Megan Helal of Navarro College in Texas was found unconscious in the early hours of the morning by her boyfriend after a night of drinking.

On November 20, 2009, Erica Rose, 19, of the University of Rhode Island was killed when she got in a car with an intoxicated driver. 

If these students or their friends had been more aware of their limits, things could have ended very differently.

The list of deaths goes on and on, proving that these tragedies occur very frequently.

The worst part is that a lot of these fatalities occur even after students become of age. How long does it take to learn to drink responsibly and know your own limits?

The trouble is that many students don't experience the world of alcohol until they leave home for college because their parents were strict, and didn't allow them to attend parties in fear that they would make mistakes. 

They are new to the party scene, and lose control the first time they are given complete freedom, in a situation where peer pressure is prominent.

In some states, such as Georgia, it is legal for parents to provide alcohol to their own children at home under supervision.

This does not mean that alcohol-related deaths and accidents don't occur where this is permitted.

The choice of how much to drink and what actions one takes while under the influence are the sole decision of that individual.

It isn't logical to set an age as a determining factor of who is responsible enough to drink, especially since it obviously doesn't stop anyone from consuming alcohol.

It is important however, to understand that there can be serious consequences to pay.

If boundaries and consequences are set early on, hopefully the lesson won't be the result of a tragedy.  

Drinking is never fun when someone gets hurt, so take charge of your own responsibilities and make sure that this is a summer vacation you'll always remember.