It seems as though there are awareness weeks reserved for everything these days.

Whether it’s Gay/Lesbian Awareness Week or Sexual Abuse Awareness Week, we’re so buried in the onslaught of awareness weeks that at times, we find it a burden to keep track of them and their real meaning.

This week, however, is Alcohol Awareness Week. And if there is any problem NIU students should be more aware of, it’s alcohol. All the subjects of these weeks deserve the attention, but few are so dramatic a problem on this campus.

In the past year at NIU, there have been several alcohol-related deaths, and the police blotters have been dotted with DUI arrests. This alone shows the need for more than just an awareness week to combat alcohol.

However, it’s difficult to fight the problems alcohol causes because the decision of whether to use it is up to the individual. If people are to use alcohol, it is up to each person to make up his or her own mind to use it in a responsible manner. Alcohol can be used in a mature way, but it’s a common occurrence to see people, such as college students, abuse it.

Even though we’re probably all sick of hearing cliches such as “know when to say no” and “friends don’t let friends drive drunk,” these phrases hit home when someone dies after ignoring them.

These awareness weeks do get preachy at times, but each reminds us of something important. When you go out this weekend or any other time remember alcohol can be a lot of fun, but it can be deadly, also. Too many NIU students have found that out, the hard way.