College students are going to drink – even when they are told not to. There will always be parties for college students to go to and, if anything, the availability of alcohol will be reason enough to take part in them.
The obvious issue that emerges from underage alcohol consumption is that it can get out of control. This is unacceptable and immature.
Everyone has to learn personal responsibility at some point. Most get wakeup calls in the form of a warning such as a traffic ticket, a DWI or even jail time.
Some never drink enough to know the consequences that could result from their actions and some who are made aware of the ramifications never learn.
The most effective and common circumstance that teaches students to grasp the idea of personal responsibility when it comes to excessive drinking is when they are exposed to what it can actually cause.
When you’re in a group in which everyone has a minor in possession or has been in a car accident while under the influence, it teaches you how to have a controlled sense of maturity.
The University of California, Berkeley has a collegiate alcohol awareness program called PartySafe@Cal.
This program doesn’t assault college students’ adulthoods by telling them the dangers of alcohol. It takes a more effective tactic, informing them of the environmental aspect of people’s choices regarding alcohol.
Karen Hughes, coordinator of PartySafe@Cal, said she helps students ‘understand where this problem fits into the communities, and (helps) identify cost-effective preventive strategies.’
This can shed some light on UH holiday drinking and how it can be safe as well as fun. ‘
‘The alcohol beverage industry has spent millions building an association between the two, largely to target/educate young males,’ Hughes said.
Hughes said in an article in the Daily Californian, the UC Berkeley student newspaper, that the program is an opportunity for students to change their drinking habits while still having a good time.
The PartySafe@Cal Web site reads, ‘Have fun. Manage risks. Reduce harm.’
All college students could learn from this. It’s not so much that the university is trying to stop them from drinking; rather it is treating its students like the adults that they are, reminding them of the possible consequences of their actions and giving them ideas of how to have fun while staying safe.
‘I’m talking to you as future mayors, future health-department leaders – because that’s where you’re heading,’ Hughes said.
‘Addressing (students) this way is more positive than lecturing them about the dangers of alcohol, which they see as an assault on their adulthood.’
So have safe fun this Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hang out with the family, watch some football and drink responsibly.
