Try to Stay Sober This Weekend

Oh Tipsy Tuesdays. I can't really believe that many Cal students want to party on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesdays.

Do not get me wrong, with midterms, papers, projects and whatever else due almost every day in a week, I definitely want to have some fun and let loose for a bit. But to me, letting loose does not always have to be about drinking or getting wasted. I always wonder, though, whether my peers think the same way I do.

Before coming to Cal, I thought that college students drink and get drunk all the time, but now, I think most of us do not need alcohol to have fun or let loose because the truth is that the majority of Cal students do not drink alcohol, or at least not that much.

Karen Hughes, coordinator for PartySafe@Cal, asked me "how many Cal students actually drink more than once a month?" I estimated 85 percent. I was sure the number would be larger.

In actuality, 62 percent of us drink once a month, or less, or not at all, according to the California Safer Schools Survey from Fall 2008. I was very perplexed. I thought I heard wrong.

Only 38 percent of UC Berkeley drink more than once a month. The fact is "the percent of Cal student drinkers is below the national average, and it has decreased 15 percent over the past five years."

I realized that if only about 38 percent of Cal students consume alcohol more than once a month, most actually do other things to de-stress and let loose, besides drinking alcohol.

Sober Weekend should not be too much of a challenge. Instead of drinking, go to a karaoke restaurant, watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, take a hike up to the Big C or whatever else you have wanted to do but could not find the perfect excuse for (as long as you stay sober, that is key).

Sober Weekend is a challenge for UC Berkeley students, to see if we can abstain from using alcohol for three days. I am not saying abstinence from alcohol is the right thing to do. Nor am I saying a few drinks here and there are going to ruin your life. The main question is are we controlling our drinking habits? Think about this: A student who drinks and parties every weekend decides to pledge to stay sober for Sober Weekend but could not enjoy their alternative activities and ends up drinking and getting wasted, like always.

Though I just made that story up, that situation occurs all the time. And some students like that hypothetical case need some help controlling their drinking. By pledging Sober Weekend, you can see if you have your drinking habits under control. If you don't, get help. There are so many on-and offcampus resources. If you do, help those who you are concerned about.

Think of Sober Weekend as a test, a challenge, or preventative measure. Its three days for you to reflect on your drinking habits. Go to the PartySafe@Cal website and pledge for Sober Weekend. Ask your friends to pledge too.

Do you have control over your alcohol consumption or does it have control over you?

Tags: SOBER WEEKEND