In the beginning of fall semester, I told freshmen it is acceptable to do something sexual with another person when slightly inebriated.
Perhaps that policy needs a little tweaking.
While it is sometimes unavoidable, it is never acceptable to repeatedly utter the phrase, "well, you know, I was drunk."
Saying you were "just drunk" means you are evading responsibility for your actions and accepting reckless behavior. Do you want to be Lindsay Lohan with her second DUI arrest or Paris Hilton and her Valtrex prescription?
But here's where I become a raging hypocrite. Over my years here, I have partaken in festivities (more then I should have), and in my drunken state I have been both seductress and sucker (way more often then I ever should have been).
Both positions, I can vouch, lead you to headaches that Advil alone cannot cure.
Sure, being drunk gives you an excuse to go hit on that hottie from your lecture, but after tonight you will still have to see that person in class 39 more times before the semester ends.
In addition to most people simply regretting the experience, drunk people are far more likely to forgo basic sexual health safety measures, such as using a condom, which puts you at higher risk of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy.
It's also incredibly unlikely that you're going to find a significant, substantial relationship out of such a fling.
Furthermore, a study published in the Journal of Sex Education & Therapy found that almost 70 percent of sexually assaulted women reported that their assailant had been drinking.
Drunken sex isn't a new problem, so perhaps an age-old approach will help remedy it.
The poet Ovid in "The Art of Love" said, "Wine rouses courage and is fit for passion: care flies, and deep drinking dilutes it."
In other words, drinking too much only causes sex and love to go wrong.
But if alcohol really is your crutch, try instead to have just one drink and pretend you're drunk the rest of the time.
While alcohol and sex are a tempting combination and almost an inevitable part of the college experience, the consequences of the two doesn't have to be permanent fixtures in your life.
