Having fun in the sun and relaxing by the beach with a beer in hand are commonly associated with spring break.

However, each year, about 1,700 college students between the ages of 18-24 die from alcohol-related incidents, according to the Task Force on College Drinking Web site.

Spring break is known as a time for college students to get drunk and forget about their limits.

The Unversity of Wisconsin studied spring breakers, and the results show that 75 percent of college males as well as 44 percent of college females were intoxicated daily while on spring break.

Learning to resist peer pressure is something people should learn in grade school.

And in this instance, our grade school knowledge needs to be applied.

Spring breakers do not need to feel pressure to drink to have fun because people can have fun while sober.

Panama City, Fla; South Padre Island and Cancun, Mexico, are the three hottest spring breaker vacation spots, according to most travel Web sites.

With the sun shining down on these beaches at all times, the heat mixed with alcohol can cause heat exhaustion or dehydration, which can lead to death.

Just because a person is over the drinking age does not mean that person should abuse alcohol. Any individual can set an example for everyone else and start the trend.

Binge drinking is closely associated with spring breakers because of their mission to have fun.

During spring break, the average male drinks 18 drinks per day, and the average woman 10 drinks per day while more than half of all men and more than 40 percent of all women drink until they become sick or pass out from the alcohol, reported alcoholpolicymd.com.

Spring break does not give students permission to drown in alcohol.

Sometimes when people pass out from alcohol, they never wake up.

Also, women have a big risk on spring break. According to the Task Force Web site, more than 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking.

Drinking alcohol and being far away from home can lead to dangerous irresponsibility.

Students should play it responsible by knowing their limits and stopping when it’s time to stop.

People attend college to pursue a better future for themselves.

It would be a tragedy to see some TCC students not come back from spring break to pursue their future because of alcohol abuse.

Be safe and responsible this spring break.