Saturday morning, when I came dragging into work, a kid I work with stopped me and asked why I looked so bad. Having gotten into bed at a time most people are getting up for work, I wasn’t that surprised. I casually told him I went to Caffeine High the night before. He asked me, what in the world was Caffeine High? I told him it was a fraternity party that ATO throws every year with no alcohol, no tobacco, just caffeine. He looked at me, shocked, and said, “What’s the point of a party where you can’t drink?”

Not only did this catch me off guard, I kind of felt bad for the kid. Not knowing how to have a good time unless you have a beer in your hand? That, my friends, is a pretty sad life.

I’m not here to bash drinking, that’s not my point. If you know me, you definitely know that is not my point. I like to have a drink now and then, but by no means have to have one to party hard. And party hard is what we did Friday night.

This was my first Caffeine High of my UNA career and it definitely lived up to all the hype my friends had built up for it. Archie Hubbard opened up and got us off to a great start. MissUsed, an ‘80s cover band, performed next, and they were nothing short of incredible. The lead singer noted several times how refreshing it was to finally play for a crowd where people weren’t falling onto the stage or puking in the corner. Dancing in the basement followed, not really my scene, but it seemed like everyone else loved it.

Not only was the party incredible and I didn’t have to worry about beer being spilt all over me, the brothers of ATO put on the entire night for a great cause. The party was a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Shoals. The brothers raised more than $3,000 for the organization. I can’t think of a better organization for the brothers to raise money for, either.

Kudos to the brothers of ATO for throwing one heck of a party again this year. You all did an incredible job and showed UNA that alcohol doesn’t have to be involved to rock out. You raised an incredible amount of money for an even more incredible organization. This was my first Caffeine High, but I know for a fact it won’t be my last.