April is Spring Break and Alcohol Awareness Month
Parents should be alarmed to know that roughly two out of three college students who drink monthly admit they engage in frequent binge drinking.
It’s an issue that affects both legal drinkers who are 21 years old as well as those who are underage.
Indeed, although spring break is often associated with more alcohol consumption by college students, roughly 60 percent of all college students report they drink on a monthly basis. Most of them admit they engage in risky binge drinking or consuming four or five drinks at one occasion for a woman or man respectively.
Even a bad experience with alcohol doesn’t seem to put an end to the behavior. That’s because the immature adolescent brain may prevent these young people from making good decisions. This risky behavior is often fueled by a so-called “invincibility complex.”
Underage Drinking
Although there are laws to prevent underage drinking, alcohol is easy to obtain for college students with fake identification or friends who are 21 years old and buy it for them. According to a 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, roughly 23 percent of high school students drink and half of those who drank also binge drink.
Alcohol-Related Problems
Among the problems faced by students who consume alcohol is drunk driving, binge drinking, alcohol poisoning, alcoholism, suicide, physical and sexual violence, drug abuse and death from alcohol-related injuries such as falls, fights. Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns there can be life-long effects to brain development from alcohol use, disrupted growth, unwanted pregnancy and lower grades and or performance at school.
Sadly, approximately 1,825 young people ages 18 to 24 years old die annually from drunk driving and other alcohol-related injuries.
Every year, April is Alcohol Awareness Month and it’s the perfect time to educate yourself and your college-age students about dangerous outcomes from drinking as well as safety measures.
Alcohol Addiction
Did you know that the younger a person is when they have their first drink, the higher the likelihood is that they will eventually develop an alcohol addiction or abuse later on in their lives.
Our college campuses can breed drinking problems as young people grow accustomed to drinking and engage in regular binge drinking after school.
Many students begin to realize they are dependent on alcohol once they have graduated and most would never anticipate they would have to manage alcoholism.
How Parents Can Help
One of the best ways to help your teen or young adult avoid dangerous drunk driving is to set up and pay for a rideshare account such as Uber or Lyft. Ask them to use it if they are drinking or if their ride is drinking because they should never accept a ride from a drunken driver.
Discuss the dangers of drinking and make sure your children are aware of the consequences of regular and binge drinking.
According to a study in 2013 by The Pennsylvania State University, students whose parents discussed the dangers of high-risk drinking were at reduced risk of developing bad drinking behaviors.
If you need help, contact the National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Referral Routing Service at 1-800-662-HELP.
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Attorney James Johnson, founder, Johnson Attorneys Group in California,
What is your personal injury case worth? Attorney James Johnson has been helping those injured in California recoup compensation for their many losses for roughly two decades.
Furthermore, Johnson Attorneys Group has helped hundreds of people over the years and we continue to work tirelessly to help our current deserving clients. We hope this news information is timely and helpful. However, if you would like to discuss a potential case or have legal questions about your personal injury case, please contact us as soon as possible. Our law firm is a proud, longtime supporter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
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