Thirsty Thursdays is good times, but what happens when some college students let it become Thirsty Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays…yea. We’ve seen it happen.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University has released a report called Wasting the “Best and the Brightest: Substance Abuse at America’s Colleges and Universities.” They discuss the alarming stat that 49% of college students binge drink or abuse prescription or illegal drugs.

So is it because of stress? Is it the sudden burst of freedom? Whatever it is, we need to become aware and take heed to the fact that everything we are working so hard for can slip away easily if substance abuse enters the scene.

Take care of your friends, and most importantly, take care of yourself by having another outlet of stress relief. Liquor should be celebratory and social – not something you’re going to lean on.