I am in no way against drinking, but college students seem to have a negative attitude about alcohol, as if it weren’t an alcoholic beverage but instead a liquid required to hydrate every single social event. 
It can be a great way to unwind on a Friday night. Tequila becomes liquid gold, making people dance and allowing conversations to flow freely. A beer in hand can give a person the confidence to talk to someone they normally would be too shy to approach. 
Alcohol isn’t all bad.
This culture of drinking, partying, late nights in Tigerland and tailgating can be fun and well deserved, but it has become so habitual and casual that people seem to forget the very negative aspects that come with this life of binge drinking. 
But students and the Baton Rouge community should take a step back and think about our drinking habits and their effect not only on ourselves but the way they affect our surroundings.
The life of a college student is stressful. Thinking about our futures and what we’re going to do once we graduate while also balancing a social life, attempting to get enough sleep and hoping we can skim by with some good grades isn’t an easy task. On the weekends and weeknights, many LSU students seek refuge from the stress of their day by having a beer, or two, or ten.
We live in the drunkest state in the country, so the large consumption of alcohol as a way to let loose and have fun with friends is accepted and never questioned. If you’re under 21 at a bar or club, chances are if you really want a drink, it won’t be too hard to acquire one. If you have a fake ID that doesn’t even remotely look like you, not too many bouncers or bartenders will take notice or care.
It’s only the second week of school and I’ve already overheard too many conversations about getting drunk the night before and all the stupid things that went down. The amount of vomit one upchucks is seen as a trophy, and the degree of the hangover is a thing to gloat about. 
This is where parts of our drinking culture become a bad thing. When getting throw-up and hangover drunk is expected and even revered, we need to draw a line.
My mom reminds me quite frequently that although I may feel like it, I am not invincible. This is the exact mindset some college students have as they drive home after too many beers or when they allow themselves to drink to a point of passing out. It won’t happen to me, it’ll never happen to me. 
Until a friend, relative or classmate falls victim of the irreversible effect of this carefree lifestyle, we can’t properly understand that it can happen to anyone.
We are not invincible. Our bodies force us to vomit and pass out when we drink too much because that’s the only way it can give the message for us to stop what we’re doing. Instead of treating vomit as a trophy, it should be taken as a sign to stop drinking and head to sleep. When we black out, instead of acting like it was all in good fun, we should learn from it.
I’m not asking anyone to stop drinking, and I’m not trying to make anyone feel bad about his or her lifestyle. Every person has fun in their own way, whether it’s a night at Reggie’s or a night playing Scrabble with some friends. I merely ask that we take care of each other and are aware of our surroundings, the condition of our own bodies, and the state of our friends.