By Greg Lehman

Daily Titan Staff Writer

The typical college student is surrounded by alcohol on a regular basis. If you choose to stay away from that, then good for you; you probably have more money, a healthier liver and far fewer horrible mornings than the rest of us.

People who do drink can attest to how much fun it can be. A good buzz, friends and more than a few laughs can amount to a very memorable night.

As with anything humans enjoy, things can get out of hand without the proper discretion because drinking too much is no fun for anybody.

Driving under the influence is a serious issue that faces many college students, and by serious I mean people die because of it. Sooner or later a situation may come up where a person who has been drinking is faced with the possibility of driving.

Be it duty, the unholy threat of getting towed or simply a need to get to the next party, the keys sit in their hands, and the car sits in the lot. Police cars lurk through the night.

Their inner calculator tabulates drinks by intensity and quantity and counts the hours since they stopped drinking. Pros and cons take sides on the mental scale that is their conscience and still they cannot make the decision.

There is no safer choice than being the bigger person and admitting that it would not be safe to drive. One can make arrangements to not do so, be it a taxi ride, couch surfing or calling one of the many people in their life that would surely trade inconvenience for making sure they are safe and sound.

Sometimes, though, you can determine that you are indeed fit to drive and can do so without causing harm to yourself and others.

There are a few determining factors that might make you want to settle in for the night. If any of the items listed below apply to you, put the keys somewhere you will remember in the morning, and by all means, do not operate a vehicle.

Let me be clear, if there is any doubt in your mind, don’t do it. Find some place to sleep it off, come back the next morning and play it safe.

If you’re in a binge spiral and don’t care about yourself, then I sincerely hope you find that thing that will bring you back to seeing that life is indeed worth living.

But do not take it out on other innocent people on the road by gambling with their lives as well.

Don’t drive if even one of these applies to you:

– You can’t remember the name of your last drink.

– You own one car but see two in the place where you parked.

– You feel like you could fall asleep at the bar.

– You do fall asleep at the bar.

– You find the anti-drunk driving commercials to be patronizing.

– The person you’ve been hitting on all night wants you to drive home.

– You can’t remember who started the beer pong/King’s Cup/Screw the Dealer game.

– The person you thought was more drunk than you looks at you and says, “Damn.”

– At some point in the night you wrestle with your friend because they won’t take another shot with you.

– You can’t say the phrase, “I’m fine” without using expletives.

– You watch a TV show you usually hate only because the remote is five feet away.

– Walking is a challenge.

– Standing is a challenge.

– Laws and accepted moral codes seem like suggestions.

– One keg stand, beer bong or double shot was taken within the last hour.

– You ask your friends more than once if you’re OK to drive.