Alcoholism in College Students
An inside look at an alarming trend
Maybe this story is familiar to you:
It is the first week of college. I am at a frat party, my first ever college party, aside from those weak orientation events. In my hand is a warm beer in a clear plastic cup. The frat house is filled to beyond capacity, the throbbing crowd spilling onto the flattened and beer-soaked lawn. My roommate and her friend, with whom I arrived at the party, are lost in the crowd, and I am left alone to watch the mob of students seep into the streets as the evening progresses. Suddenly, my thoughtful haze is pierced by the wailing of sirens and flashing of red and blue lights. Panic floods my system with solid iciness, causing me to drop my half-finished drink, which lands with an unperceptible squish onto the grass. I call my roommate's name, pushing aside the other freshmen who were making shy conversation with me. "The police are here! We have to get out!" I cry. My head is swimming with visions of me in a jail cell my first week of school, out of school, being forced to explain to my parents why I was arrested for underage drinking in public. My roommate, seeing my panicked face, chuckles at what she can only assume is my charming naivete. "Don't worry," she tells me, staying firmly rooted on the lawn and making no effort to remove from her person any sign of alcohol consumption. Moments later, I see that she is right. The local and university police leave the party studentless, and I notice that one of the policemen is carrying a bottle of beer in his hand as he turns on the ignition of the car. It so happens that the cops only arrived on the scene to instruct the students to remove themselves from the street, and nothing else.
What is wrong with this picture?
Maybe nothing. College is a time for experimentation. It is a time when young adults leave the confines of their house (usually), and the rules of their parents. Alcohol consumption is a common, if sometimes illegal occurence. This webpage is not about condemning alcohol consumption in college students per se. It is about figuring out when alcohol consumption becomes too habitual, and figuring out what to do about it.
Mission Statement
