I am a second-year college student. I have never had a sip of alcohol due to several reasons all of which I have made based on personal preference. Throughout the very short amount of time that I have lived on a college campus, I have seen far too many classmates and friends throw away their potential as a result of adhering to their idea of "fun" rather than valuing the respectable choice.

First and foremost, we are underage. It is literally against the law in the United States to consume alcoholic beverages until you are at least 21 years old. If abiding by your country's law isn't enough to keep your moral standards in check and motivate you to make intelligent choices, perhaps you should consider reevaluating how you base your judgment for decision making.

Furthermore, drinking does not place this everlasting "cool kid" vibe onto your persona; rather, it highlights your lack of self-respect and ignorance to the notion that you are a potential danger to the lives of other people around you if you fail to drink responsibly. There seems to be an unjust assumption that all college students drink obscene amounts of alcohol at parties in order to have "the college experience." In reality, while there are plenty of kids who choose to live the party lifestyle, there are just as many who opt out.

The occasional, and legal, consumption of an alcoholic beverage is acceptable, and I understand that people are going to want to experiment and try alcoholic beverages. However, it is my personal pet peeve when young adults take it upon themselves to make their drinking an unhealthy habit. The negative consequences may initially sound like they could never happen to you, yet it is still imperative to realize that you are inviting a risk, with an unpredictable outcome, into your life.

There is an entire world that is waiting to be explored, novel notions to be created, and discoveries to be uncovered. With an unlimited number of ways to spend your time here on earth, why would you want to waste that precious time being wasted?