Face it. The large majority of college students drink. It’s no great mystery. Unfortunately, some of us drink not because we like the taste or we are thirsty, but because it is expected of us.

We think that by drinking alcohol, we suddenly transform into more attractive and fun people. We expect alcohol to solve our problems without creating new ones.

An event that took place on campus last weekend hopefully changed some students’ feelings about alcohol. Sigma Phi Epsilon sponsored an alcohol-free dance as part of National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week. Hopefully, the participants learned that it’s possible to have a good time without going out to the bars or picking up a bottle of alcohol.

More campus and community organizations should sponsor similar events open to all students. It’s a good way to let people know there are others out there that don’t go out and drink every weekend. Feeling that you are not alone is a big step toward stopping peer pressure and drinking just because “everyone else is doing it.”

This Halloween weekend, go out and have fun. Drink if you want to. Don’t drink if you don’t want to. It’s as easy as that.

Don’t expect or pressure others to drink if they don’t want to. The decision to drink or not drink is one you can make yourself and stand by. No one else can make that decision for you.