Remember that time last semester when you got completely messed up at a party, spent $20 at Real Chili and almost got hit by a car as you wondered across Wells Street? Actually, you probably don’t remember, but we’re sure that your friend who walked you home does.

Marquette has a drinking culture — the whole state of Wisconsin does, really.

But are college students spending too much time “having fun” and not enough time being smart about it? The first few months of the year have already resulted in multiple alcohol-induced drownings among college students.

In January, the body of Michael T. Philbin, 21, was found in the Fox River. Michael, son of the Green Bay Packers’ offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, fell into the river after a night of partying with friends at UW-Oshkosh. The body of UW-Stevens Point student Eric Duffey was found in the Wisconsin River near Madison after celebrating his 21st birthday early the first week of March. We’re sure you all remember seeing missing posters for Tom Hecht, 28, plastered around campus a few weeks ago. Hecht’s body was found in the Milwaukee River after disappearing one night after a pub crawl.

The reality of these cases is the same: It was just an ordinary night. There was nothing exceptional about these cases other than the devastation they caused Wisconsin families. These three men were normal guys doing normal things. But that’s the problem — it’s normal.

Why should it be normal to drink so much you can’t stand, walk or even sleep on your own without someone watching you? Why should it be normal to have no idea who you’re with or no idea where you were? The truth is, it shouldn’t be.

Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol to the point of blacking out or puking is just like a drug overdose. Actually, it is a drug overdose. If one of your friends overdosed on cocaine, heroine or any other illegal drug, we think (and hope) you’d be pretty concerned. So why is it encouraged and laughed off by the majority of college students when people overdose on alcohol? Drunk people can be pretty entertaining, but when someone’s life is on the line, it is no joking manner.

We’ve all had that one night where we could have ended up anywhere without the help of our friends or a kind stranger. What if those people wouldn’t have been there? What if the “mom” in your friend group went home that weekend? Would you have made it home safely?

You’re not untouchable just because you’re in college; situations like Hecht’s could happen to anyone.

We’re not saying don’t drink. We at the Tribune are all about having a good time. We just urge you to be responsible. When you’re out with friends, stay with them. If someone needs to head back early, go with them. Use the buddy system. Have your phone fully charged and actually answer it when someone calls you. Little things like this add up and could eventually end up saving a life.