"Let's get blackout tonight."

Cheers erupt from everyone's lips and shot glasses clink. 1, 2, 3, then 4 shots down, one after the other, but the night is only beginning - this is just the pregame. No mixers, if you need a chaser you're a b*tch. And If you're not stumbling by the time you get to the party, it won't be fun, trust me.

"Let's get some punch!"

Walking into the crowded house, there are mostly unfamiliar faces. This is awkward, we're definitely not drunk enough. Because, of course, the drunker everyone is the less awkward it is. Besides, don't you want to be the life of the party? So, make a beeline toward the punch. Quick, before they run out - there's no such thing as a good party without alcohol.

"On the count of three, chug!"

One, two, three, and heads tip back with cups to everyone's mouths. How many drinks are actually in the cup? We don't care, as long as it's enough. Enough to make our vision blur, words slur, legs stumble, and inhibitions to fade. Enough to have a good night.

* * *

When did a good night become one you can't remember? When did a good night become being carried home with vomit in your hair? When did a good night become hanging over the toilet with your equally drunk friends tending to you? When did a good night become landing in the hospital? When did one become risking your life?

I used to think that having a good night was blacking out. In fact, I used to shoot for it four nights a week. I thought that my behavior was normal because I'm in college. I drank when I was happy, I drank when I was sad, I drank when I was stressed, sick - I could turn any occasion into one to drink to. My reality was I was that I was destroying my body and my mental health. I stopped drinking altogether a year ago, I transferred from one of the top-ranked party schools in the country to one ranked even higher, and I have yet to find a reason to "go get blackout." I'm not telling you not to drink, or go out, or have fun. I'm telling you that fun isn't defined by blacking out — and if that's your definition of fun you need to reevaluate.

I've seen news story after news story of college students dying from alcohol poisoning, and it makes me feel physically ill. In fact, according to the NIAA, approximately 1,825 college students between ages 18-24 die from unintentional, alcohol-related injuries every year. I'm sick of reading about people who could have just as easily been me dying from binge-drinking and I'm even sicker of hearing about people being afraid to call the police when somebody needs help. You never know who will be your friend when you're blackout drunk, you better just hope that you have one.

I don't want you to change. If you like going out and drinking, then go out and drink, but aiming to blackout is just self-sabotage. Don't risk your life and depend on others to get you help if you need it. And dammit, if you see somebody who needs help, don't be selfish — make it your problem, call the police, and make sure that they're OK.

A good night isn't a night where you see the inside of an ambulance.

A good night isn't one where you wake up wondering how you got home.

A good night isn't throwing up.

A good night isn't pushing your limits.

A good night is one that you remember and can smile back at.

A good night is when you have real fun.