Editor, Daily Nexus,

This week is National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week. Take this moment to reflect on what you did this past weekend. Perhaps you drank a little bit. Perhaps you drank quite a bit. Perhaps you had a bit too much of a zany time and woke up in the gutters of Sabado with a headache the size of Storke Tower, viscous drool crusted at the corners of your mouth and no watch. If you chose the latter, then please keep reading this letter.

I am part of a group called S.T.A.R., which stands for Students Teaching Alcohol and other drug Responsibility, and our purpose is to promote moderate and responsible use for those who choose to use and to support those who choose not to. Since this week is NCAAW, please be aware of your options. Next weekend, instead of waking up in a gutter, you could go out and designate a sober driver, drink some water between drinks, know your limits, be aware of your surroundings and go out with people you trust and who you know will make sure you make it home safely.

So remember that you can choose to be a part of the 58 percent of students on this campus who drink an average of 0-4 drinks per week. You can even choose to be one of the 4,000 students at UCSB who seldom, if ever, drink alcohol at all. Don’t be influenced by what appears to be the majority. The choice is yours alone.