Many students are excited to go to college and to be on their own for the first time away from mom and dad. Their college years are normally the years they decide to find themselves, but while they find themselves there are many things they should be aware of, like alcohol. Let's not pretend that college is an alcohol free zone and get down to the facts about alcohol and how it affects today's students.

Underage drinking at college is a large problem and many of these students don't know their limit and simply make poor choices while under the influence. The legal drinking age in the United States is 21; anyone under the age of 21 is considered a minor. It is illegal to give alcohol to a minor in the United States, and illegal for a minor to consume alcohol. While trying to ignore the fact that minors do indeed get drunk, we still need to look at the major safety issues that go along with drinking while in college or at any point in time for that matter.

Drinking and driving is the leading cause of death of minors; about 5,000 teenagers die from being involved in an accident from drunk driving. No matter how many drinks you have had, you should not get behind the wheel. If you do you become a hazard to not only yourself, but also to any passengers you have and other drivers on the road; not to mention it's illegal. Perhaps you find yourself in a situation where you did drive somewhere and then had a drink or two. You should find a way to get home that doesn't involve you driving, such as calling a friend or family member or getting a taxi. If you aren't in a place where taxis swing by regularly, ask the bar tender or someone to call you a cab or a car service and then someone can take you home. Most college campuses do offer pick up services or car pool services for that exact purpose. Check with the colleges University Police Department (UPD) to see if they offer this service or if someone else in the town does.

Another problem is binge drinking, meaning having four or more drinks in one sitting. Binge drinking can normally lead to alcohol abuse or dependency. People who do binge drink are normally people who have just turned 21, but really about two out of five college students are binge drinkers. Student's drink this way may wind up making huge mistakes that can have a huge impact on the rest of their lives. When someone does binge, they may become hurt or injured, hurt or injure another, drive under the influence, engage in unprotected sex or unplanned sex, miss class or work, fall behind on class work or other work, and may even get in trouble with the campus police or local police. Majority of rapes on campus result from an event or gathering that alcohol was involved, and some students have said they were too drunk to even know if they consented to sex.

Let's not pretend that drinking doesn't happen on college campuses, instead, we should learn the affects alcohol has on students. Being smart when it comes to drinking can help keep you safe, and who knows, may even keep you alive. Be sure you know your limit if you do go drink at a party, and call a cab, friend or family member instead of driving you home. Don't use the excuse that they will be angry with you because in the end, your safety is what matters and they would much rather know you are safe then you driving drunk and being in a serious, possibly fatal, accident.