Since most DePaul students do not have classes Fridays, “Thirsty Thursday” is celebrated each week. Some students start partying Thursday, while others party on school nights.

Unfortunately, The Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in Denver found that students who binge drink are happier. This is because students believe binge drinking, which is drinking four or more drinks in two hours, to be associated with how wealthy and popular they are.

“I find the overall information to be very sad,” Dr. Edwin Salsitz, chair of the Education and Program Committee of the New York Society of Addiction Medicine. told ABC News. “Binge drinking is dangerous on many different levels, yet these students seem to derive benefits from this behavior,” said Salsitz.

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, binge drinking may cause unintentional injuries, alcohol poisoning, unintended pregnancy, sexual dysfunction, neurological damage, and many other health problems.

Not only should these health problems concern students, but also the fact that alcohol addiction may develop from these innocent nights. About nine percent of student who begin drinking after age 21 will become dependent, reports Time Magazine.

For college students, alcohol at parties is a necessity. Partying means nothing more than drinking cheap beer and having a fun night with friends.

When you’re drunk, making rational decisions is out of the question. Texting while you’re under the influence is the least dangerous action you may take during the night. Truly unsafe decisions may include getting in cabs with complete strangers or going home with people who you are not friends with.

It might seem like the best idea you ever had to go home with an attractive guy or girl but every year around 400,000 students have unprotected sex and 100,000 are too drunk to give consent for sexual activity, reports Time Magazine. It is a fact that one in four college students have an STD, according to nursingschools.net.

Lincoln Park is a hot spot for bars and because of this, students often bar hop without realizing the dangers of walking the streets at night. Yes, LP is a “safe” neighborhood but it is still Chicago. Just take a look at spotcrime.com: theft, burglary, assault occur multiple times a day usually in the evening or in the morning hours.

Walking drunk with friends or alone puts you at greater risk. If you want to bar hop the best thing you can do is jump in a cab with your buddies instead of roaming Clark Street at night.

When DePaul senior, Francesca Gattuso, goes out she stays sober so she can remain alert. She never goes out alone and stays in a big group. Gattusso also carries pepper spray in her hand while she is out.

Drinking and driving should never be an option for you. According to Time Magazine, every year more than three million students between ages 18 and 24 drive while drunk and of those 1,850 die in car crashes.

The risks are staggering, but students cannot imagine going out without any alcohol in their system. Drinking is definitely for people who can handle their alcohol and who can say no to drinks (yes, even to free drinks).

Drinking one drink an hour is a good rule to follow. Also, having a plan for the night is smart. Don’t make any rash decisions like jumping into cabs or going to another part of town to dance at a bar. Never separate from your friends or go off on your own. And if worse comes to worst get in a cab and just go home.