Wednesday was the birthday of Jack Kerouac, the prolific writer and epitome of the "Beat Generation." His book, On the Road, has inspired many people to hit the open road to either follow in the path blazed by Kerouac or find a route through America all their own.
While Kerouac and his cohorts overindulged in drugs, alcohol and women throughout the actual trip upon which the book was based, it should not be an example for college students – about to trip out of town for spring break – to follow.
Much has changed since the 1940s, the decade in which much of the decadence for the book took place. We party to relax, to escape, and to vent some of the pressure which has been building from academic, personal and occupational obligations.
Drinking to excess is no way to forget about poor performances on mid-terms, and ingesting some form of narcotic hardly does wonders for alleviating those coming research papers waiting for you on your return to school.
I know, I know – we are all invincible, right? Nothing will happen to you if you get too drunk, since your buddies will be around; however, aren’t your friends going to be having a good time, too? Who is watching them if they are supposed to be watching you?
After all, even if you plan ahead and designate a driver, who is to say he or she will not succumb to the allure of those frozen margaritas flowing around the bar? It takes a strong person to stick to the plan of making sure everyone gets back to the hotel safely.
The best way to make sure you don’t let things get out of hand is to know your own limitations. A slew of blood alcohol content calculators are available online so you can figure out how many drinks you can handle.
You might think walking to a party from your hotel means you can drink to excess, but stumbling back to your room after a night of overindulging in beer and Jell-O shots leaves you open to all kinds of dangers from alcohol poisoning to being the victim of some crime.
A good time can be had in moderation and you will remember all of the highlights of your spring break without having to watch them on a special edition of "Cops" or having the details relayed to you by someone who did not black out the night before.
