Halloween is here, and soon after the toilet paper comes out of the trees and the costumes are thrown away, UK football will play the Georgia Bulldogs on Nov. 3.

Holidays are usually prime time for drinking and partying, not to mention the hype surrounding UK’s football team this season. We at the Kernel want to take this opportunity to remind the students on this campus to celebrate these events responsibly. Reckless celebrations have led to tragedies already this year, and we want to caution all UK students not to repeat the same mistakes.

In September, after UK football ended a 31-year losing street by beating the Florida Gators 27-16, students took to State Street and rioted. They ended up flipping and totaling a car, causing unnecessary personal damage and distress to Matt O’Hara, the car’s owner. They rattled stop signs, threw trash cans and dispersed when authorities arrived. No one took responsibility for the damages caused, leaving others to clean up the mess and a local car dealership to replace the destroyed car.

Later that month, on Sept. 15, a 4-year-old boy was struck by an 18-year-old driver who “showed signs of impairment” after a football game. The child died a few days later.

As a result of the incident, the driver’s fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega, suspended his pledge and the UK chapter was later suspended pending investigation.

There are lasting ramifications to drunk driving, underage drinking and blindly following a rowdy crowd. Already this year, a young child has lost his life, an 18-year-old student has ruined his future, a fraternity has been suspended and a person’s car has been destroyed. Families are hurting thanks to careless partying and dangerous peer pressure.

There has been too much tragedy this year. Around the upcoming holiday–

and always– please be mindful of how your actions affect others. Don’t drink underage. If you are legal to drink, set a limit before you go out. Decide ahead of time that you will party responsibly and not go along with damaging activities. Ask a friend to call an Uber for you when you’re ready to go home. These extra steps may seem like hassles, but partying ceases to be fun when people start getting hurt.