As college students, we are not new to the drinking culture. Though the majority of college students are legally prohibited from consuming or possessing alcohol, it’s no secret that the streets and houses of Rohnert Park are filled with students – over and under age – drinking just to get drunk every weekend.

And that’s just it – “Let’s get drunk” is something you’ll hear throughout your entire life. Not that there’s anything wrong being drunk – there are many attractive and delicious qualities found in a dark glass of red wine or a heavily hopped IPA, and sometimes the consumption of a few servings can produce the best memories you’ll have in your life.

But when those memories are forgotten because you were determined to drink until you blacked out? When did society decide to put their relationships and lives on the line just so they could forget about it the next morning?

Getting wasted is glamorized on social media, in movies and just plain old real life. Pictures of empty handles and smashed beer cans are found all over Instagram and Facebook. We are so drunk that the City Council enacted an urgency ordinance to protect its citizens from us.

Blame it on our culture, our laws or just plain stupidity – we are losing ourselves to a poisonous substance we buy and consume regularly.

A year or so ago, I watched as a relative lost everything he had – including his family. A month ago I watched a loved one turn into a destructive monster I couldn’t recognize. This past weekend, I held my friends close after learning about the death of a dear friend.

The source behind every single one of these events was alcohol.

I can’t pretend that my words will curb the intensity of college’s drinking culture. What I can hope is that the sober internalization of my words will help at least one person promise themself they’ll never let it get out of hand. 

Whether the line between handling oneself and losing control is thick or thin is dependent on the individual, but it’s there. And for the sake of your loved ones and the ones who love you, don’t toe it.