Alcohol Classes or Banning Booze on Campus?

This is the sixth in a series of blogs looking at the problem of binge drinking on college campuses. As a counselor for both in-class and online alcohol classes I have many college students attending our alcohol classes. Some are them are in class for minor in possession (MIP) violations, while others have incurred driving under the influence (DUI) or other alcohol-related problems.

Every one of these students attest to the fact that binge drinking is rampant on campus. So the question begs to be asked: what should be done? Should college campuses be dry? Should alcohol awareness classes be mandatory for incoming freshmen?

We know that adolescents have been given the clear message that alcohol consumption is not healthy. So, what is the motivation for a student to drink unsafe amounts of alcohol despite knowledge of its harmful effects?

There are a lot of alcohol education programs in the U.S., additionally there are even online alcohol classes available to this tech savvy generation. Students know that binge drinking is high risk behavior that drastically increases the possibility of harmful consequences such as sexual assault, violence, drunk driving, and future alcohol dependency. If those are not frightening enough how about the fact that for most, alcohol consumption is illegal!

These students know the risks and how they can get in trouble with school authorities and the law. So why do they they persist in binge drinking anyway? That will be the subject of the next entry into this blog series.