<p>I just receiving the latest "Monitoring the Future" Survey data for 2003 (issued December 2004) for college students. There is no breakdown by college, and the regional information is all similar to that previously reported. You should know that, generally speaking, the data is accurate, and there is usually a 2-3% undercount on illicit drugs (with the exception of needle use), and is thought to be accurate on alcohol.</p>
<p>In 2003,
21.4% of college students used illicit drugs in the past 30 days.
8.2% used illicit drugs other than marijuana; 19.3% used marijuana.
These percentages are similar to previous years.</p>
<p>1.8% used hallucinogens in the past 30 days (an increase from 1.2% in 2002); most of that increase is in hallucinogens other than LSD.
Cocaine, MDMA, and methamphetamine use are up slightly (meth at 3.1% in previous 30 days.</p>
<p>66.2% drank alcohol in previous 30 days; 4.3% drink daily. 38.5% had 5+ drinks in a row (binge drinking) in past two weeks. Disapproval of peer binge drinking ("5 or more drinks in a row once or twice each weekend") among 19-22 year olds has fallen to its lowest point in 25 years (47.9%).</p>
<p>Bucknell has a required freshman seminar on alcohol awareness and a point system. They've also really buckled down on the fraternities and started offering more evening and weekend activities on campus. I don't know if this will make much of a dent, however. The paper is still full of alcohol and drug incidents. They are at least trying. I know that my son has told us they card at any function on or around the campus that is University sponsored--such as some of the recent political fundraisers--which is better than looking the other way. But If you really want to "party down" it is readily available. Until it becomes more socially unacceptable, I don't think the rates will decline much, do you?</p>
<p>I take major issues with considering 5 drinks on an occassion "binge drinking." For someone who is 110 lbs this might be the case, but for us guys in the 250 lbs range that is not the case. This is saying killing a sixer makes me a binge drinker. Six beers barely makes someone my size catch a buzz. They should make adjustments for weight of person.</p>
<p>If it takes more than 6 beers to feel the effects of alcohol, I would suggest that perhaps you are drinking too many too often.
I drink infrequently and can feel the effects of one drink. ( and I am not 110 lbs)
My father in law on the other hand is an alcoholic and he can drink all day long and if you didn't notice the ever present can of Bud in his hand you would have no idea he was drinking.
<a href="http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/alerts/l/blnaa28.htm%5B/url%5D">http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/alerts/l/blnaa28.htm</a></p>
<p>For most of the colleges our kids are attending or thinking of attending, the alcohol numbers above are underestimates. Students at commuter schools drink less. Those at evangelical and LDS colleges (like BYU, Bob Jones) drink much less. Wealthier students tend to drink more.</p>
<p>The number that is not being tracked, and probably should be, is midweek drinking. Having just talked with a newly retired Ivy dean on Sunday night (we are doing a book together), I think it fair to say that the elite schools are now concerned about the effect of alcohol use on academic quality in ways that we haven't seen since the heavy drug use periods of the late 60s.</p>
<p>I know there is a lot of drinking at Rice. My D is a sophomore and does drink, but has always been responsible about alcohol. Rice has a liberal alcohol policy (which I support) which tends to keep the kids (and the alcohol) in the dorms and off the streets. I have to say, back "in the day" when I was at Large State University, drinking was a huge part of our life, too. It IS a concern, especially with the recent deaths (CU-Boulder) and abuses. Karen</p>
<p>I think alcohol education needs to start before leaving high school.
I have observed parents who think that drinking is "rite of passage" and either turn a blind eye or actually facilitate it. Parents who are very casual in their own drinking, and parents who miss the signs of lack of control & /or a need for stimulation in other areas. I don't think students who have been abstaining in high school go to college and go crazy, I think students who have been using in high school go crazier in college.</p>
<p>EK; My DH didn't drink or smoke a drop in high school. He subsequently earned the nickname 'Wildman' at his very wild fraternity.</p>
<p>He is now an infrequent drinker.</p>
<p>Drinking and the attraction to drinking are unpredictable. A parent can take all the steps you list and the kid still makes mistakes. That's life--not somebody's 'fault'.</p>
<p>I think college is the best place to discover the joys and perils of drinking. Most of my friends drank fair amount in college and then settled into quiet productive lives. I think there is some truth to the old eat drink and be merry idea--at least in college to some extent. There is WAY too much time in life to be serious and college is generally a safer environment if you have a lick of sense.</p>
<p>I am not saying that it is the parents "fault" if their kid goes crazy in college, but I do think they need more drug/alcohol/safety awareness education for both parents and teens in middle and high schools.
It seems that a good number of the fraternities ( and sororities) for example use alcohol at functions. Parents often seem to rationalize or even expect a certain level of inappropriate behavior even in middle school students, and with Greeks the parties seem to be part of the attraction. Kids aren't taught to recognize dangerous situations in advance, whether it is a drinking party that is out of hand, a date that is out of bounds or a party that is in a sketchy area.
We may encourage our kids to take self defense classes and to have a designated driver, but how much experience do they have recognizing situations that they should remove themselves from immediately?
I see that it is a fine line between being cautious and being paranoid, but in mho the environment seems to be a big influence toward outcome.</p>
<p>Mini...interesting remark from the Ivy dean regarding drinking affecting academic quality.....at my college there was such a huge workload that partying couldn't start until the weekends.....we'd flunk out....when I moved to NYC and spoke to graduates of places like UVA and Chapel Hill I was baffled by the amount of time during the week devoted to partying.......thought they'd have too much work to do......even people who went to the Ivies said the parties started Wedneday.....never could understand it...</p>
<p>Nothing will ever be able to comprehend the alcoholic mind. Young people party, they will always party, and there isn't anything people can do about it.</p>
<p>I didn't drink until I hit 21, except for the occasional glass of wine with my parents. Many of my friends did the same thing. Brief period where it was tough, as I was the only one who wasn't of legal age. For me, it was a combination of personality (highly risk-adverse) with the fact that my parents never really glamourized it. They will have a drink every so often, and sometimes offer some wine on a special occasion. I knew that I had a low tolerance - didn't know exactly how low - but it was enough. Then again, my older sis is my polar opposite, so it's clearly not just environmental. </p>
<p>IMO, it's good for kids to have some clue of their ability to handle alcohol before they get to school. As for legalizing marijuana/less drinking, not sure about that one. I drink, but would never touch a cigarette. (Certainly, there are health risks of drinking - but not the same way with smoking.) Likewise, I can't imagine many people substituting one for the other, especially given the quite addictive qualities of marijuana. It is probably much easier to not drink for a year than to try to quit pot for a week or two. Most adults drink at least a bit; you can't say the same thing for smoking. Marijuana use, at least among people I know, is more correlated to smoking than to drinking. Just my thought.</p>
<p>I drink only very, very occasionally (maybe a glass of wine every few months), but we should remember that when most of us parents were in college, the legal age was 18 (at least in the state where I went to school). I believe the philosophy behind raising it to 21 was to help keep alcohol out of high schools, as many seniors are 18 and were bringing alcohol to the younger ones. I don't condone disregarding the law but I can't get very upset about a 20 year old having some beer or wine. This is totally aside from the issue of abuse or wild partying, which isn't desirable for anyone of any age. It just seems kind of silly that my 20 year old son, who rented an apartment and a car and worked on his own in a distant city this summer, can't order a glass of wine when we go out to dinner as a family.</p>
<p>um ya
Did anyone know about clymadia? AIDS? Herpes? HepB?
People grew their own pot and you could buy a baggie for $10. We gathered mushrooms from the cow pasture as that was easier than trying to find someone to buy us a 6-pack of Lucky.
Now there is a sexually transmitted disease for every day of the week and of course some of them will kill you. People can buy XTC which will cook you from the inside out or you can have roofies slipped into your drink without knowing.
The stuff that is out there now makes shooting smack almost nostalgic.
True I know more than my parents did, but I still think that it is more dangerous now. Just the amount of weapons alone makes it more dangerous. When I was in school the only person I knew that had been shot committed suicide. Now I know people who have been shot from drivebys out side clubs in fancy neighborhoods of Seattle, a girl was killed a few years ago waiting for her bus outside her high school in our neighborhood and one of my daughters friends mothers was murdered one morning in her own house after dropping off her daughter at piano lessons.
I think a lot has changed.</p>