One of the dumbest, worst, and most inconsiderate things a person could do in this world is drive under the influence. By driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, you are not only harming yourself, but you are putting others at risk.

First of all, automobile accidents are the leading cause of teen deaths in America. That’s right, leading. Out of all the activities that would most likely lead to you being dead tomorrow, getting into the driver’s seat of a car under the influence of alcohol or drugs is number one.

Second, you are harming others. Your parents love you. They trust you to be safe. Putting yourself into a situation where you are very likely to hurt yourself is selfish. You are being selfish to the people who care about you. How do you think that your parents would feel having to receive a call that you had hurt yourself in a car accident? How do you think your friends would feel if you weren’t at school the next day? How do you think everyone at Xavier, the teachers, staff and students, would feel if we lost a member of our community? This isn’t only an issue of putting yourself in danger, you are substantially increasing the likelihood that everyone around you suffers. Think about that the next time you decide not to call your parents for a ride.

Now, not only do you have an entire community at Xavier that cares about you, but everyone else on the road has people who care about them too. When you get into a car intoxicated, you are not only putting this great risk on yourself, but you are imposing this risk on every single other person who decided to get into a car that night. The notion is unbelievably self-centered.

We, as a Xavier community, have experienced many tragic lives lost throughout this school year. Every Xavier student has witnessed the effect of the loss of one person. Do not ever think that this cannot happen to you, when in fact, it can happen suddenly to anyone.

When you make the decision to drive under the influence, you create the potential to inflict this pain among many people. You have the potential to be the reason someone’s father is gone from their life. You have the potential to take away someone’s best friend. You have the potential to take away the love of someone’s life. This is bigger than your parents being mad at you for having to pick you up drunk or high from a party. This is a serious matter of life or death. So please, I beg of you, consider the consequences before you make the decision to drive a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol.