DOUG HARDMAN
Opinions Editor
Shots, shots, shots! With St. Patty’s around the corner and Spring Break in the same step, it is time to party. But with good times and excessive drinking comes even greater responsibility. Regardless of what you may be doing, you are always responsible for your actions. Do not blame the booze; it was your sober choice to drink in the first place.
No one can tell you not to drink. It is a matter of free will and your willingness to make a fool of yourself. And drinking is primarily a social convention so you may not want to be the not-so-fun guy drinking water in the corner. There is nothing wrong with that, but you are going to have a bad time without the sweet liquid magic in your system.
And, of course, being a voice of the good people of Virginia Wesleyan, I cannot encourage or condone underage drinking amongst college students. However, if you are going to partake in partying illegally, I just ask that you do so responsibly and courteously. Especially since most of you will not be on campus and will be abroad, unleashing the beast in the dark, unforgiving alleyways of the world.
The biggest and most overused advice that actually means something is: DO NOT drink and drive. The cost of a taxi does not equal the cost of your life or anyone else’s.
You should be less worried about spending twenty bucks on getting home safely than arguing the fact that you are okay to drive when you are clearly not. And the last thing you want to be remembered for is being the drunk driver who killed an innocent woman and her baby.
They say one of the easiest ways to learn something is by repetition, so let me drill this into your head: if you are going to drink, drink responsibly. There is absolutely nothing wrong with partying or having a good time, as long as you know how to handle yourself.
There is a thing called moderation and I do not care if you can drink me under the table. Know your limit or you will end up making out with some engaged stranger and then hate yourself for weeks on end.
Let’s be honest: every college student is going to have their one crazy, drunken night in college that they will never live down. It happens. It is fun. But it is only fun if you wake up safely the next morning and not in some stranger’s bed or on the streets. Then you get to have a fun “Hangover” scavenger hunt to find your way back.
We are at the age between crazy teen and responsible adult. You can have the best of both. Ready for another drilling? Just be responsible.
