<p>"We forget that we did the same thing."</p>
<p>Maybe we didn't forget. Maybe that's why we're freaking out!</p>
<p>Brother of friend-of-friend just died Fri morning.</p>
<p>USU</a> freshman dies of apparent alcohol poisoning - Salt Lake Tribune</p>
<p>Yes, I'm sick of it.</p>
<p>Barron: "At my heavy drinking school with 40,000 students in the last 40 years or so more people have died from riding bikes, falling through ice, local terrorist bombings and probably bees stings than drinking. "</p>
<p>That's hard for me to believe. Drunk drivers kill a lot of people. Moreover, college-aged students who fall through the ice and drown often weren't sober when they decided to walk out on that ice.</p>
<p>
[quote]
But considering reality and with a little self-control you can go out and have a good time and come home fine.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>According to the stats on the link to the study of 38,982 drinking students at post #113, 4,881 of those students reported having suffered alcohol related injuiries in the year studied. </p>
<p>
[quote]
Fatal crashes occurring from midnight to 3:00 AM, 77% involved alcohol in 2003.
The next most dangerous time period for alcohol-related crash deaths were 9 PM to midnight (64% of fatal crashes involved alcohol), followed by 3 AM to 6 AM (60% of fatal crashes involved alcohol). (Source - NHTSA, 2004)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Add in the injuries these students did to others (students and non-students), it seems like "considering reality" college drinking is significantly dangerous to the drinker and the non drinker students and community at large.</p>
<p>For me, the concern is not that the students are drinking. Alcohol has, and will continue to be, a reality of the college experience. The concern I have is with the alcohol poisoning and deaths. Additionally, the unwanted sexual assaults have increased. For my daughter, concern about the sexual aggression has her disgusted and frightened, perhaps even moreso than the out-of-control alcohol. I don't mean to hi-jack the thread, but booze and regretable sex do seem to go hand-in-hand.</p>
<p>Do you think the phrases like "living large" and "extreme ____" (fill in the blank that perpetuate advertising and the media are, at some level driving the extreme behavior with the alcohol and sex?</p>
<p>For me, the concern is not that the students are drinking. Alcohol has, and will continue to be, a reality of the college experience. The concern I have is with the alcohol poisoning and deaths. Additionally, the unwanted sexual assaults have increased. For my daughter, concern about the sexual aggression has her disgusted and frightened, perhaps even moreso than the out-of-control alcohol. I don't mean to hi-jack the thread, but booze and unwanted sex do seem to go hand-in-hand.</p>
<p>Do you think the phrases like "living large" and "extreme ____" (fill in the blank that perpetuate advertising and the media are, at some level driving the extreme behavior with the alcohol and sex?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Do you think the phrases like "living large" and "extreme ____" (fill in the blank that perpetuate advertising and the media are, at some level driving the extreme behavior with the alcohol and sex?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That and the fact that more than 10% of the alcohol companies' sales derive from underage drinking and that disproportionate amounts of the their advertising is geared at teenagers.</p>
<p>Hornet, I watched the "Haze" movie posted by Yorkyfan (thank you!!!) and I was stunned by the graphic reality of this movie. Having two daughters, the part of the movie that had the most striking impact on me was the girls drinking and the comment that many of these girls feel that if they are drunk and have sex, they are not going to get a bad rep because they are somehow not in control. Many of these girls are behaving like exotic dancers and prostitutes without the benefits of being paid. The movie also talked about the dramatic increase in binge drinking among girls. The physical and psychological damage they are doing to themselves is bind-boggling. </p>
<p>This morning I talked to my daughter who is a freshman. We often have some of our best conversations while she is having Sat or Sun morning breakfast. She said the caf is always very quiet and she is able to have a relaxing breakfast and get an early start on school work while most of the campus sleeps off their wild night. </p>
<p>I told her about the movie, "Haze" and she expressed the same disgust as your daughter over the sexually aggressive and explicit behavior of girls and boys on campus. So far, she has very successfully navigated herself through her first few months of freshman year without succumbing to the pressures of the drinking culture and still she is having fun. </p>
<p>I dont know what the answer is. I think if more parents were informed by documentaries like Haze, it might help. I really believe that our children listen to us and follow our lead.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Additionally, the unwanted sexual assaults have increased. For my daughter, concern about the sexual aggression has her disgusted and frightened, perhaps even moreso than the out-of-control alcohol.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Sexual assaults concern me, too, and so does consensual sex of the unintended sort -- the kind that people regret in the morning and that often involves no protection. These events are much less common when people are sober.</p>
<p>kaleigh:</p>
<p>I think that, if given a voice, most college students would express disgust with the frat boy/girls gone wild mentality. Unfortunately, they are led to believe that kind of behavior is "normal" for college and they they are the weirdos for not enjoying it.</p>
<p>interesteddad,</p>
<p>I agree that is probably the case. I wonder how these kids would react if they saw video of their drunken behavior at its worst (similar to what I watched in "Haze"). Perhaps a dose of their own reality might stop a few from indulging again. But ultimately the whole culture needs to be changed and there doesn't seem to be anyone from college administrators to psychologists to sociologists to law enforcement personnel who have any hopeful suggestions for change. I know I may sound naive but I truly believe that the best hope for change could come from the family.</p>
<p>Actually, there have been dozens of highly effective interventions at colleges and universities that have been demonstrated to bring down rates of binge and heavy drinking, overall rates of drinking, and risky behavior. I have posted them previously. Any college administrator who claims there is nothing that can be done is simply a coward. </p>
<p>It could start with them posting their binge drinking rates and blackout rates for everyone to see, and then saying embarrassing things to the wrong audience, as did the President of Middlebury.</p>
<p>Yes interesteddad! Exactly Right!!!!</p>
<p>I think there is a smaller group of college kids that really, truly want to participate in it. My s met a lot of guys at orientation that were coming to study business, and he said all they talked about was how wasted they were planning on getting as soon as they were living on campus. Then I think there's a whole other group of kids that get sucked into it because they feel it's expected, and don't know what else to do. I talked with my s before he left about that, and how alcohol can really make you feel more relaxed and comfortable in different situations. </p>
<p>I wish I knew how to change this reality on campuses, because I think it does a lot of damage and derails a lot of lives. On my end, I just intend to talk to my kids a lot about how that is not a good road for them to go down.</p>
<p>I think Colorado University (where Gordie Bailey died) is doing some innovative things to combat binge drinking. I love the SEMS project where students are trained as emergency medical techs and offer their services free to any group that is having a party. The SEMS students are not at the party to police it. They hang out at the party and assist anyone who looks like they are in trouble because of alcohol. More and more frat organizations at CU are requesting SEMS personnel to be present at their parties. They do not want another death.
I also like what Virginia Commonwealth University did. They asked their art and marketing students to devise a campaign to reduce the incidence of dangerous drinking. Marketing students found that most students at VCU do not really want to binge drink and have strategies to help themselves avoid it. (rubber bands on the wrists to count the number of drinks you have had, alternating an alcoholic drink with a soda, filling a beer can with water so it looks like your drinking, having a buddy at the party to help you monitor your consumption). The art students created great brochures and posters to promote the "What's your strategy" campaign on campus.
The residents that live near VCU also created a "Party Patrol" with the assistance of VCU to monitor excessively loud and out-of-control parties that has greatly reduced the incidence of crazy, drunken parties.</p>
<p>It is true that drinking is common at a lot of these schools.
I'm not in college yet so it's hard for me to come to conclusions but from what I've heard from friends who are currently in college who don't drink that they have been doing fine socially.</p>
<p>I know of many people at UM who successfully found ways to have fun without binge drinking.
When I visited Columbia, I was surprised by the number of people I met who weren't into the scene despite the fact that it was obviously there.</p>
<p>The majority of you are assuming that you cannot go to an academically challenging school, do well, and still party on the weekends. It is possible and many people manage to do this. Its called time management. Do your work throughout the week, and know on sundays that you are going to be up late doing work. </p>
<p>People completely try and demonize the college drinking atmosphere, but the majority of kids who partake in such activities manage to drink responsibly and not get severely injured. </p>
<p>Partying on the weekends is a fun time to hang out with friends and forget about all the work you had to do during the week and how much work you have to do.</p>
<p>headlinenewsrox, I'm all for time management.</p>
<p>I'm just not in favor of spending the time you free up through skillful time management getting drunk. There are so many better options. That same time could be spent doing other enjoyable things with your friends that don't make you sick or increase your likelihood of getting injured. It could be spent on extracurricular activities, or on some sort of part-time job that earns you money. It could be spent sleeping. It could even be spent having sex that you will actually remember in the morning!</p>
<p>headlinenewsrox,
The trouble with the college drinking scene is that it has real consequences for the individual, the college community and the surrounding residential community. How much manpower of police and paramedics is devoted to dealing with fights, public urination, vandalism, violation of noise ordinances, sexual assaults, and alcoholic overdosing? What about the surrounding community that has to live with the prospect of loud parties every weedend? What about the individual who may have to deal with being a crime victim, missing class, lowered grades, the possibility of alcohol addiction in later life? </p>
<p>As far as I am concerned, there is nothing, absolutely nothing worthwhile about consuming alcohol as a way to relax. So I urge you, headlinesnewsrox, to change the culture at your school. Relax with your friends in a manner that does not involve alcohol. I'm sure you can do it!</p>
<p>Notice that headlinenewsrox uses a euphemism, describing the activities as "partying on the weekend". Why not just come right out and say it: "drink like Otis the Town drunk" this weekend. Or "drink 'til we puke" this weekend. Or get trashed and blackout this weekend.</p>
<p>Nobody, anywhere, anytime is suggesting that college students should go to a party on the weekend. That's not what this thread is about.</p>
<p>Everyone using polite euphemisms -- from students to parents to college administrators -- is precisely the problem here. We should be calling the behavior what it is and reinforcing a social stigma instead of politely calling it "partying".</p>
<p>Sorry Mini most UW grads belong to the majority of college students who stop excessive drinking after college. I even cited an article to that effect. Did you read it? I have read yours and they do not focus on only college students, but all people of college age--not the same thing. Drunk driving in Madison by students is not very common as most live in walking distance of the bars or take cabs. I used to know the number of Badger Cab by heart. 256-5566. Easy to remember even when you have had a few. But one of my friends did just die. Cancer.</p>