Editorial

Students stay safe during bar crawl

By Student Voice

April 7, 2011

This Saturday, the second annual, student organized bar crawl will be taking place downtown River Falls. Based on a facebook group that currently states 716 people will be attending, we surmise that the bars will be crawling with thirst quenching people. 

We want to send a clear message to those participating in the bar crawl to stay safe, have fun and act responsible.

The event starts at noon and ends when the bars close at 2:00 a.m; how many can last that long, remains to be seen.  Throughout the day, those participating in the event, and others that want to tag along for the fun, will attempt to order a drink at each of the 12 bars in town; the facebook page however recommends that everyone orders at least two drinks at each bar.

The bar crawl has the components to be very fun time, if one withstands from consuming 24 drinks.  The weather will be pleasant; the Masters Golf Tournament will be on TV and UW-River Falls students will unite for a common cause. We predict that a sense of comradery will be established, with everyone wearing the same specially made t-shirts and achieving the same goal; getting drunk.

The bar owners will also benefit, for the cash registers will be opening and the credit card machines will be printing.

It is also nice to see an event that attempts to keep UWRF students in town for the weekend instead of the students heading in all directions other than River Falls every Friday evening. 

Although this can be a great opportunity to socialize with friends and have a good time, students need to be aware of the dangerous situations that can arise from excessive drinking. After all, April is alcohol awareness month so we feel obligated to play the devils advocate for all those people that are reading this and thinking the staff of the Student Voice are lame.

For those that seriously want to attempt to drink from noon to 2 a.m., they should understand that they would be binge drinking, for it fits the definition by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention perfectly. According to the CDC, drinking an excessive amount in a short period of time caused 79,000 deaths in the U.S. between 2001-2005. Besides fatalities, such drinking practices are also associated with car crashes, falls, burns, drowning, sexual assault and domestic violence, according to the American Psychological Association.

For those that join the throngs of people drinking at the bars in River Falls, please try to be conscious or your actions and resist the urge to get consumed by alcohol.