Ah, the years of young adulthood. Stressful days at work, confusing lectures at school, and wild parties. These years are the ones for the books. We are all at the age to seek out adventure anywhere we can get it. We can make our own decisions, and it is prime time to find who we are as individuals. However, many of us get caught up in every party, every bad decision, and every drop of alcohol. While a party here and there is fine and dandy, alcohol and drugs do not define 'adventure' or 'living'.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good party or a spur of the moment bad decision (Sorry mom & dad) with my friends. It's inevitable that you encounter those every now and then. Yet, these are not the things that should come to mind when speaking of living life.

Our generation has become nothing more than underage drinking and substance abuse.

It's always so sad to turn on the news and see someone has died in a car crash from drinking or has overdosed on a drug they got caught up in. The people whose lives were taken might have been coming from a party or even done those things with their friends in search of a good story to tell for the next few months. It does not always end well.

I know I was the advocate for shutting off your phones to find adventure, but you should put down the alcohol to find it as well.

Maybe I'm the only one that feels this way, but adventure excites me. I don't need drugs or alcohol to enhance that excitement. The idea of exploring an abandoned building and trying not to get caught gets my adrenaline pumping. The idea of driving with no destination, and stumbling across a town full of things to do makes me smile. Traveling the country, or even to different countries, excites me.

Drinking every day until I can't remember much doesn't excite me. Doing the same thing over and over while also damaging your liver? Sounds rather boring and harmful. instead of every now and then would get old so quickly. Making my nightly routine to smoke a bowl (rather than here and there) would get boring as well. I want to see things I haven't seen and make my years to remember.

This also doesn't mean I'm blabbing my mouth to get everyone to stop drinking and doing drugs. What you do is on you. You venture off to a festival and want to drink? Be my guest. You go to a Caribbean Island and want to smoke like Bob Marley? Have fun, take some cool pictures.

My point is alcohol is not the definition of these years.

Some people may even be the ones who have old souls and are turned off by alcohol and drugs completely. These are the people that are ready to settle down younger than others and have found their place themselves, or with a person. Why would they need crazy parties if they have discovered who they are and who they want to be with?

Maybe I feel this way because of the way our generation is. We go to parties and see people drinking themselves into oblivion, throwing up everywhere. That's embarrassing! We see the girls drunkenly flirting with someone who isn't their boyfriend, or guys drunkenly taking girls into bedrooms even though their girlfriend is sleeping soundly at home. That's disappointing! We see friends or peers that go to parties or even just a friend's house and never make it home. That is the worst thing that can happen.

Our generation has ruined parties by smashing beer cans into their heads to prove their worth, cheating on their partners because 'they're drunk' and 'they can.'

Our generation has decided it's 'cool' to drink and drive, 'funny' to chug a bunch of alcohol and make yourself throw it back up, and even 'an adventure' to experiment with different drugs. This disgusts me to entire other levels.

There are so many things to do that don't involve a sip of alcohol or a stitch of a drug. Volunteer somewhere. Explore a new town you have driven past but never paid mind to. Try new foods and drinks. Spend time with family. Explore an abandoned building. Go cliff jumping. Watch the sun rise or set with the love of your life. Do something crazy, without doing something stupid.

Open your eyes and think.

The world has a million and one things to offer. Beautiful things that add to the years we waited so long for. So while you all take to drugs and drinking for 'an adventure,' I'll be on true adventures, ones that get my heart racing and make my smile bigger than the horizon line.