My first Saturday night at college, my four friends (of about a week) and I were invited to get drunk and watch “House of Wax.”

This was a problem, mostly because I don’t drink, but also because I don’t do well with scary movies and Paris Hilton is a terrible actress.

My mom used to sometimes mention how strange drinking to get drunk seemed to her. That objective, Europeanesque perspective, along with my dad letting me smell whiskey when I was 7 years old, was the most important factor in my disinterest in alcohol. That’s the perspective with which I entered high school, and then college.

Back to that first Saturday night: The drinking plans weren’t solid, and my friends wanted to watch the movie, so we went our host’s dorm. I mentioned that if anyone brought alcohol, I’d take off, because it made me uncomfortable.

When someone arrived with a water bottle of orange juice and vodka (yum?) my friends were fantastic and left with me. We walked to the Charles River and stared at the city lights instead.

That night illustrated that alcohol isn’t an exciting, novel thing for some kids. Our host and her friend were straight out of high school, and booze was their popcorn. They didn’t think much of it.

I don’t think that attitude is typical, but we have to acknowledge that it exists. Too often, we think of discouraging drinking before it starts, but for many incoming freshmen, it’s already a lifestyle. So what do we do?

It’s important to approach kids without any assumptions. If you don’t have any knowledge of them drinking, don’t assume they’ve never touched alcohol, and if you do have solid proof, don’t treat them like they’ve been lost to a life of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. Kids aren’t angels or devils; they’re humans. We’re all just humans.

Before you pick the role of good cop or bad cop, think about why you’re approaching this person in the first place. I hope it’s because you care about him or her, and you think that communication between the two of you will help him or her make healthy choices.

From discussions in class and with friends, I’ve gathered some tips that they and I think should be passed on to parents and kids. A popular sentiment was “be educated.”

A lot of people don’t know what to do if someone passes out — put self-preservation aside and call 911, then turn her on her side so she doesn’t choke if she vomits — or they may be unaware that alcohol takes 30 minutes or more to be absorbed into the bloodstream. This knowledge helps us take care of ourselves and each other.

Aside from knowing the facts, we need to know ourselves. In any situation, we should recognize when we’re feeling uncomfortable, and listen to that feeling.

When the drunk driving movies we watched in driver’s ed and our older siblings’ stories of crazy drunken nights are duking it out in our heads, the here-and-now is what is going to make the final decision.

No one knows enough about us to make decisions on our behalf. If you’re not sure about doing something dangerous, don’t. At least you’ll be in a position to change your mind.

If we do drink, we’ll be vulnerable. If we aren’t in control, someone is going to end up making our decisions, and they aren’t always going to be in our best interest, especially if our new pal in loco parentis is also under the influence.

That night, at the river, my friends and I decided to always leave any place in which one of us felt uncomfortable. It’s a good system, but it’s no substitute for having parents a few miles away who would help if I did end up in a bad situation.

When we’re not watching movies and inspiring noise complaints, my friends and I like to go to punk shows in places that probably pay the bills with redemption money; however, I have never felt pressured to drink.

Drunk people generally don’t care if anyone else is drinking. An acquaintance once apologized for offering me beer when she remembered that I didn’t drink.

I’d like to mention that after our Saturday-night host was informed, later, about why we left, she was fine with it, and to this day, we can make eye contact without it being awkward.

STACIA BREZINSKI graduated from Brunswick High School in 2011 and is currently attending Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass.