Drinking responsibly

By Editorial

A great tragedy, as many know now, occurred in the Santa Clara community this summer. Trainer and friend to many, Jeannine Masch, died due to excessive alcohol consumption. It is a dark page in Santa Clara's history. The event was and continues to be sad and unfortunate. And it could have been any one of us.

Go out any weekend night and you'll see more than a few students stumbling around and slurring their words after a night of drinking. Even with the horrible situation fresh in Santa Clara minds, students still consume to excess. This past weekend's jungle party, for example, showcased several students on the ground passed out, beyond the point of even vomiting, while others were escorted home by friends to avoid any humiliating displays of drunkenness.

Fourteen hundred college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die every year from alcohol related injuries, reports the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Thousands more experience injuries, sexual abuse, academic problems, vandalism, and drug dependence as a direct result of the inappropriate use of alcohol. Sure, we always hear about how binge drinking is a problem on college campuses. Students receive information about the dangers of excessive drinking through Potty Talk newsletters, awareness campaigns, and residence hall community conversations. But when will students learn not to cross that dangerous, potentially fatal line?

Masch's death brings into question how we as college students use alcohol in our social lives. Similar situations occur every week: A student meets up with friends, pre-parties with a few drinks, plays a few games of beirut, heads out to the bar for a few more drinks, and somehow makes it home. He or she wakes up the next morning struggling to remember what happened the previous night as everything after arriving at the bar fades into a black hole of spinning lights and loud noises.

What needs to happen before college students realize that there is a finite limit to the amount of alcohol one body can consume? There is a line that we all too often cross. "Just one more" often means one too many. Try, just try, not getting to that point this weekend. We're sure you'll have just as much fun without those one or two extra drinks. Know that there is a point at which one can and should just stop. Be safe. Please.

Every person has their own limit. But don't go out at night with the intent to test yours.