Hecker is a first-year magazines major and can be contacted at emily.hecker@drake.edu.
Though I may only be a first-year, I have already heard about an unofficial tradition associated with Relays: drinking.
Yes, this is college and consuming alcohol happens everywhere, anytime of the year — both legally and illegally. What I’m wondering is how this idea of being drunk throughout Relays came to be considered a good idea among some of my fellow Bulldogs.
Having observed the consequences of drinking from DUIs to rehab, I tend to have a very negative outlook on those who choose to drink themselves into a state of oblivion. Somehow, I’ve managed to have fun without consuming alcohol and have been able to remember those enjoyable moments the following day.
I’m not here to preach to anyone as a mother, interventionist or therapist about the consequences of drinking. However, I would like to make those of you who drink aware of how important it is to be responsible for yourself.
For years, we begged our parents to treat us like adults. Now that we’ve achieved that magic age of 18-plus, why not act in a manner that would earn the adult respect we crave from our parents and guardians? I don’t know about your families, but if either of my parents discovered I’d been blackout drunk, I would be on the first plane home faster than you could say “keg.”
OK, so maybe you think your parents will never know, or you just don’t care what they think. Then let me ask you something: How does excessive drinking benefit you? Do you think it takes away your problems?
If you answered my second question in the affirmative, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but whatever it is you’re struggling with isn’t going to magically disappear once you reach the bottom of your glass. Those student loans and chemistry tests will still be waiting for you even after you pull through that pesky hangover.
Perhaps your biggest problem during Relays is how to manage to stay drunk throughout all the activities. A friend mentioned hearing this particular plight of a fellow student and remarked on how it must be quite tiresome to remain in a state alternating between drunkenness and hangovers. I must say, I agree with my friend.
I applaud those of you who are determined to steer clear of this unofficial Relays tradition. I highly doubt that Street Painting or the parade will have increased in quality under the influence of alcohol.
For those of you intent upon partaking in the consumption of alcohol, I will advise you to know your limits and not to try to pass them. Be aware of the people around you.
Be in control of your drinks. Know who’s mixed them and the alcohol content. If you’re going to drink, do it responsibly.
At the risk of sounding cliché and motherly, I challenge all of you to make good decisions, not only during Relays, but always.