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Pre-gaming, beer pong and jello shots are as much a part of college life as fraternities, football and finals. Will your student drink? The answer is probably yes so, as his parent, there are some important things you need to know.
What's the big deal?
The big deal is this: It is estimated that drinking by college students aged 18-24 contributes to an estimated 1,700 student deaths, 599,000 injuries, and 97,000 cases of sexual assault or date rape each year. Those are serious consequences. That bears repeating: 1,700 student deaths, 599,000 injuries, and 97,000 cases of sexual assault or date rape each year.
And that's not all. Unsafe sex is a big problem too. Research indicates that some 400,000 students reported unprotected sex after drinking and another 100,000 report having been too drunk to know if they consented to sex. And there's significant issues with health/suicide, property damage, drunk driving and vandalism.
What is your college's alcohol policy?
Most colleges and universities no longer turn a blind eye to underage drinking and have instituted strict policies on consumption and particularly on the sale of alcohol to a minor. A 2002 Task Force on College Drinking, supported by the National Institutes of Alcohol Abuse, put in motion an extensive series of prevention and awareness programs that have been adopted by hundreds of colleges.
You and your child should be aware of his college's policies regarding alcohol. Check the school's website, or for a state-by-state listing, go to www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/policies, as policies vary by school. In Virginia, George Mason University prohibits alcohol in any first year residential area, regardless of age of the freshman. James Madison University's policy reminds students that underage possession or purchase of alcohol is punishable by up to 12 months in jail, a fine of $2500, or both and possible loss of a driver's license for up to a year. The University of Virginia has an extensive policy regarding alcohol on campus; their student-athletes are subject to additional policies as well.
It's academic
As a parent, you should know this startling statistic: about one-third of first-year students fail to enroll for their second year.
While there are many reasons why kids leave college, alcohol can be one of them.
About a quarter of college students end up with problems in school due to drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers and receiving lower grades overall. Experts urge parents to be especially vigilant to your freshman's experiences during the first six weeks of the fall semester. All of that new-found free time and easy access to alcohol sometimes leads to excessive drinking. Drinking too much interferes with adapting to campus life in all kinds of ways.
Teach, don't preach
You may not be able to moderate your child's drinking in any direct way but you can help him to understand the possible consequences of irresponsible drinking. Put preaching aside and start teaching. Make sure he or she knows how alcohol can lead to date rape and violence. Teach him and especially her about BAC (blood alcohol content) and how it relates to their size. Make certain he knows the law and penalties for:
- underage drinking
- public drunkenness
- using a fake id
- driving under the influence
Research findings on drinking: www.niaaa.nih.gov/AboutNIAAA/NIAAASponsoredPrograms/CollegeDrinkingMLDA.htm
College drinking problems, death on the rise: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615093919.htm
American Council on Alcoholism: www.aca-usa.org/college.htm
Anheuser Busch "Family Talk": www.collegetalkonline.com/
Comments
Great article. Thanks for the suggestions and warnings!
While I agree that underage drinking occurs at the majority of U.S. colleges I find that your article does not take into consideration the student perspective. Encouraging parents to dig into the lives of their children to discover whether or not their drinking is adversely affecting their academics or life in general will only make the problem worse. The last thing any incoming freshman wants is to have their parent nagging them about every minor detail especially drinking. Yes, having a talk about drinking before moving your child in would be helpful but overdoing it could potentially lead to a strained parent-child relationship.
Overall though, a great articl with some sound information for parents of rising college freshmen.
I agree with Matthew...and would like to add that any parent that gets over-concerned about alcohol could miss a potentially bigger problem. If a parent were to blame alcohol for any/all difficulties without finding out the true cause of their child's problems they could miss a greater issue. For instance, if a child who fell into depression caused by homesickness and simultaneously drank a little on the side and had their parent blame the issue on alcohol alone they could miss the fact that their child is depressed.
Sorry if that was unclear but I think you get my point.
Regardless, a well-written article in any case.
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