I never really thought that much about drinking at any point in my life until now. Being a party animal just isn't my thing: not everyone is used to drunken nights and sober school days, that is.

Partying college kids might seem like they are having the best time of their lives. However, what you see might just be a fabrication far, far from the reality. In reality, most pesky young adults are naïve to the dangers of drinking. The truth is that I'm not that naïve. I'd like to think that I keep plenty of secrets on my "watch."

Reality check: Red Watch Band just introduced me to a whole new world behind closed doors and its purpose influenced me to get out and help others who need it. The story behind it is very realistic, but preventable.

Back in 2008, a Northwestern University Student was pronounced dead in his dorm. University officials didn't take much blame for his death except just labeling him as a teenager being "drunk and overdosing on alcohol a tad bit too much." (Actually, I exaggerated that part a little bit.)

Matthew Sunshine, the victim, was a proud 19-year-old liberal student from Cold Spring Harbor, New York. He was just like your average kid next door with a successful high school past. Sounds shocking, right?

Luckily, Stony Brook University, a proud sponsor of the Red Watch Band Program, took the lead in promoting awareness training to combat alcohol overdose drinking.

We all were waiting for this all along: after Matthew's death, his mother, Suzanne Fields received news from SBU's ex president, Shirley Strum Kenny, that she will definitely do anything to "actively take part in alleviating the distressed mother's stress."

Worddd. Stony Brook was killing the game.

Now for the movement back in 2009: news of the newly launched program flooded everywhere throughout Stony Brook as soon as the idea was enforced.

SBU students thought to themselves, "Can we take the responsibility of bringing RWB to our campus?"

Stony Brook responded: We can do it if we all work together as a team. Thus, It was on a beautiful spring day in 2009 that the movement finally came in existence.

People were excited to finally accept this program as its own. Red Watch Band was created to provide training on alcohol safety and awareness group training to take action in emergency situations.

As the program reached great heights, it recruited many students who went through CPR training and acted out role-playing situations, making phone calls during alcohol-related emergencies.

Over 100 students were trained and were part of a bigger system. This new family was a group of individuals who were there for each other. Plenty of students now know how to get help when they consume too much alcohol.

That was an exciting change for the Brook. SBU, you made me proud!

Dear Red Watch Band, can you teach me how to help others too?

On a scarier note, each year about 1,825 college students can definitely die from alcohol overdose and bad decisions. Students die from intoxication and alcohol related injuries while others lose lives over risky driving.

Well, I am not going to urge people to stop drinking as soon as they read this article. Some tasks like those are always difficult to impose on a college campus. And no, I am not forcing others to do something against their will. I'm not your best guide here.

Nevertheless, I'd love to share my own opinion on alcohol binge drinking. Binge drinking is so common in universities it should be authorized as something that "just happens anyway" no matter how much we try to fix it.

Sometimes, people don't think of overdosing as a big deal. Unfortunately, plenty of undergraduate students drown themselves in alcohol each year. I can tell you how true that is to an extent, but not everyone drinks. (Ooooh, I think that was reference was directed towards me, btw.)

Behind these given facts, I know overdosing can be preventable if we take a huge role in trying to get others aware of such a beautiful program.

When I first heard about Red Watch Band, it was the end of my Sophomore Year. Luckily, a savvy friend told me all about it and provided me the right tools to become more aware of how the program works.

Now that I have all the tools ready to become a Red Watch Band bystander and member, helping out the community is my number one goal. Red Watch Band, for me, is an amazing opportunity that shouldn't be let down.

It's November and I'm afraid of getting judged for trying out too late.

Of course it isn't TOO late to give it your best shot. People are super busy at this point of the semester but trainings happen throughout the year. I would say it's the same for me. It's harder to get trained during the middle of a semester, but getting trained for a beneficial cause won't do any harm.

Even if you are a little shaky about helping out in something that means nothing to you along the lines of university life, give it a try. Embrace something new! Who knows what impact you can have on others?

Have you ever been in a situation with a loved one or friend suffering in their daily lives from alcohol overdose or too much partying? Please—I really mean it—please do yourself a favor and ask them to reach out to important sources to manage their intoxication levels.

Do it before they lose too much self control and become depressed. I'm sure you want the best for them. Make sure to redirect them to the Counselling and Psychological Services: Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Outreach Center. If they can't make a call, you can call the office. Make the initiative before it's too late. Everyone is there to help. For the worst case scenario, dial up 9-1-1. People will help. It's up to you to reach out and save your loved ones.

Get yourself educated and be an active member of the SBU health community.

Get yourself Red Watch Band Trained. I know I would. For all those of who are unsure about the training, just go and search for Red Watch Band on the SBU website and register for bystander training. I know its a two hour course, but you will get through it and gain awareness on how to prevent toxic drinking deaths. You might become a better person!

Still, it can be difficult to make new changes if you feel inadequate for the job. Making a big change on my university campus can be left unnoticed, but believe every little help counts. Make that change now. Always, and I mean always reach out to others if you want to try out newer things. Start from scratch and make it real!

Even better, be an active member of a huge and accepting community.

Thanks to my future Red Watch friends, I might do something different out of the ordinary and take a new step into a unknown and foreign land not knowing where I will land next.

Dear RWB family,

Without the support of a promising future Red Watch friends and community, who knows where I will be heading?

Definitely not towards drinking. Be warned that reading this section requires reader discretion, so drink at your expense.

Sincerely,

Your future but busy RWB friend (cough cough)