Being in college has really been an eye opening experience in regards to the huge role that alcohol plays in student’s lives. I had never imagined that drinking would be such a primary source of entertainment on college campuses. Not only that, but it has also been very surprising to see how little some of these students know about drinking and the effect that this has on their judgment and their behavior. That is why I think it is very important to understand what can be done to prevent bad circumstances as students first get into college.
I’ll take you back to my first week here at the University of Denver. It was a time where everyone was just getting to know each other and my friends and I thought it would be fun to see what sort of parties we could find here in Denver. We walked a few blocks and we got to a house that none of us had ever been to. That, to start out, wasn’t really the smartest of choices, because going to a strangers home can be a bad situation to put yourself into. We walked inside and from the moment we walked in, it was easy to distinguish which students were freshman; perhaps because they were the drunkest ones at the party.
There were many times during that night that I found myself amazed by the stupidity of some of the first year students that were there. First off because it was clear that many of them had no idea how much was enough, and because of this reason many of them ended up throwing up in the yards nearby or making fools of themselves inside the house. Another thing I found surprising was that most of the girls were drinking anything and everything that was given to them by strangers, which can be very dangerous. There were also those that got lost in the way back to the residency hall, and very drunkenly found their way back after a few hours of walking in the dark. All in all, it was a night that really went to show how little some of these students knew about drinking, which got me thinking about what could be possible ways of preventing small mistakes that could really turn out bad.
I realized that the only real way of preventing drunken mistakes made by students would be for them to be informed about alcohol and the situations they should stay away from. Since my mother and I have always had a very open relationship, she has shared with me many stories that have increased my understanding on the subject; things such as knowing who to stay away from, making sure to get your own drink and also hints to let you know when you’ve had enough. I believe that part of the problem in this country is that parents don’t communicate with their kids about alcohol like they should. Most ignore the issue and pretend like it isn’t something worth discussing with their kids.
Looking at other countries in comparison to the United States, they don’t have to as close as many problems regarding underage drinking. The reason is simple, they don’t look at alcohol as a means to get completely wasted, but more as a social activity that people take a part of from the time they are young. As an article from the Daily Barometer points out, “Underage drinking is not a problem. The problematic situation here is over-consumption — a result of our society’s unhealthy relationship with alcohol.” In my opinion, making alcohol seem like something so prohibited is what causes a lot of the crazy behavior from students first arriving at college. If families were able to be at least somewhat open to talking to their kids about drinking –letting them know about drunk driving, introducing them to the things they must do if a friend is blackout drunk, making sure they know not to take drinks from strangers, etc- would really reduce the problems that happen concerning alcohol.
Perhaps if parents were able to introduce their kids to the matters regarding alcohol before it becomes a problem would help students be a little more aware of their actions. Maybe then, as statistics from the NCADD show, there would be less than the 1,700 estimated deaths of college students from alcohol related injuries, deaths that could have been prevented by just a little more communication.
I share the same first week in college experience as you do and I remember it very well. The same thing happened to me and I had the same reaction you did. I am also from a different country and growing up in the Caribbean and having a Spanish mom I grew up with the same mentality. My parents have always been very close and open with me. Alcohol in the Caribbean or in Latin countries is not viewed as something that must be locked away. I too think that this is what causes the problem of underage drinkers not knowing enough. As much as schools and communities try to teach teens about this situation it is completely different when ones parent shares this with them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both the author and Danimat in regards to this article. My first week was similar, yet different (for obvious reasons); while not in fear of people putting certain things in my drink, I was watching the exact same scene described- in the center of the room girls were getting incredibly drunk while guys were either playing beer pong or watching the girls act like idiots. Many later that night blamed the rampant intoxication on drinking at altitude; while many people come from altitudes much closer to sea level (as do I), the majority of the problem was kids not knowing their limits nor how to drink responsibly. I did not grow up in an open relationship with my parents; because of this, almost everything I learned about drinking was from my friends back home. If not for them, I very easily could have fallen into the typical 'get away from overprotective parents, drink because I can, get in loads of trouble' cycle.
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