Many college students have had the experience of watching a friend get drunk and being entertained by their “silly” and uncontrolled behavior.

But what happens when that same friend gets behind the wheel of their car while impaired and smashes into something or someone else, causing them to die instantly?

The fun stops, the laughter is gone and a friend is lost forever.

Knowing that these are the likely consequences of driving drunk, many educated college students still choose to go out and drink and then drive themselves home. A choice that often ends in death or at least a life drastically changed forever.

Before getting in their car, students should decide a few things that could save their lives. The first thing they should know is if they are going to drink at their destination. If they want to drink, then it is best to make plans with someone else to either drive them to their destination or pick them up after they have been drinking.

Students should also know their limits. If it is a person’s first time drinking, it is hard for him or her to know when they have had too much. The best thing for them to do is to drink slowly. When a person sips on alcohol instead of quickly “chugging” it, he or she will be better able to slowly feel the effects that might otherwise creep up suddenly.

Another factor that is absolutely senseless is peer pressure. Whether it is a best friend at a party or brother or sister from a fraternity or sorority, no one should let another person determine his or her fate. If someone feels that he or she can only be accepted by a person or a group by drinking, then this person or group might not be the right one.

College is supposed to be a time where students flourish and prepare themselves to start full and healthy lives. Instead, students are often faced with the horror and pain of lives being cut short by these senseless acts. Although no one can ultimately determine his or her destiny in life, he or she can control the routes in which they take.

Drinking does not necessarily equal fun. People can enjoy themselves without alcohol.

There is also a big difference between enjoying a few drinks and feeling the need to get sloppy drunk. Drinking and driving are two things that are to be handled separately and with maturity; they are never to be done together.

Getting drunk at a young age can cause people to suffer from alcoholism as adults and a host of many other medical problems that could scar them for life. At this stage in life, students should try to use good judgement and not drive while drunk. It could be a decision that saves a life.