We've got to do more to save our young people from alcohol abuse. It's a killer.

More than 1,800 college students die each year from alcohol, and 500,000 students are injured by it, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

By day, these students have curious, textured, challenging minds. By night, too many are getting black-out drunk, mixing shots with potent drugs and randomly hooking up.

Students say, "That's what we aim for: black-out drunk." They often mix alcohol with prescription drugs.

What can be done? Campus administrators know there is no single solution to the puzzle. But there are a lot of different pieces.

• Reflection is a piece.

Ask students what they seek to gain from drinking. If it's to be more socially at ease, suggest that the same goal can be achieved with fewer drinks. Emphasize side benefits, like saving money by drinking less and avoiding a hangover or a reckless sexual encounter.

• Social justice is a piece.

Ask students if they really want to so heavily subsidize the alcohol industry, which kills 85,000 Americans a year.

• Knowledge is a piece.

Honestly talk about what a safe blood alcohol level means, depending on a person's size and weight. Discuss the research showing that women may be more vulnerable to alcohol abuse, achieving higher blood alcohol levels on comparable amounts of alcohol. Differentiate between abuse and drinking. Point them to the website echeckuptogo.com, where they can evaluate themselves.

• Peer leadership is a piece.

Guide student leaders, athletes and resident advisers to shift the culture and cap the excesses. Coaches, professors and deans all have a role to play.

• Working with parents is a piece.

When parents bring their kids to visit prospective colleges, stress campus efforts at preventing alcohol abuse. When parents drop their kids off for Freshman Week, the dean of students should provide a packet of information to both students and parents on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse -- and the resources on campus to combat it.

• Rethinking punishment is a piece.

Give out informational resources with each underage ticket, including a list of alcohol-free community activities. Make enforcement consistent. Separate residence-counseling from enforcement so students can trust their counselors.

Let us embrace those young curious, textured and challenging minds. Let us work with them to find solutions. Together, we can.

Cartoonist Rob Rogers does "Rob's Rough," an early look at his work and his creative process, exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.