Let’s talk about drinking. The first football game is coming up and some of you are going into round two of “Thirsty Thursdays” as you prepare for the big season ahead. Who can blame you for craving that sweet release from having to worry about coming home and possibly running into your mom or dad? It’s a great feeling.

According to The New York Times, “A 2007 study at the University of Texas found that its students drank more on football game days than on Halloween, New Year’s Eve or the last day of fall semester classes.”

I understand that alcohol is the forbidden fruit of college to the majority of students, but that doesn’t mean you have to gorge yourself to the point of vomiting. Three years ago, I went to my first college football game. I got there two hours early and had a great seat with all my friends. A skinny, tall, brunette in four-inch heels and a cut up ZonaZoo T-shirt teetered her way with friends to a seat two rows behind me. Not 20 minutes passed before I heard her vomiting. She was slumped over, passed out and throwing up. Her lovely locks quickly became wretched from being knotted in the mess that didn’t make it to the ground. Her friends left her.

I know you’re thinking, “Oh my god, my friends would never do that.” Well, they might. My friend rushed off to get water and I took my extra hair band and wrapped her tangled tresses into a bun. She had to be carried out by security, and we left our spot because no one wants to stand by a pile of puke.

This was only the first of many girls I’ve seen hauled away unconscious or escorted out stumbling from the stadium by security or police. Don’t be that person. Throwing up isn’t just embarrassing, it’s a sign that someone has alcohol poisoning. Be especially careful if your friend is unconscious. This isn’t a public service announcement to stop drinking; this is a reminder that drinking is a team sport. When a football player collapses on the sideline his teammates don’t get uncomfortable and scamper away. They help him.

So when you see someone passed out on the ground or slurring their words while falling, don’t just point and laugh, figure out if there’s a problem and then help find the solution.

This doesn’t just apply to students either. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70 percent of binge drinking incidents involve adults age 26 years and older. That means alumni, crazy Tucson sports fans and parents are just as likely to take that extra shot, or 10, and reap the consequences.

Guzzling beer is as much a part of an Arizona tailgate as chips and salsa. As fans, we’re going to be loud, obnoxious, boo the referees and share a moment with strangers as we spill something on or near them. In the ZonaZoo we’ll stand shoulder to shoulder through the whole game. So on game day, I ask Arizona fans everywhere: Take a knee and ask that drunken fan if they need a hand … or a bottle of water.

— Michelle A. Monroe is a journalism senior. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.