Encourage Students to Celebrate the Season Alcohol-Free
The last weeks of the fall semester involve all sorts of social gatherings – holiday parties,
Yankee swaps, secret snowflakes, and often high levels of alcohol use.
Shouts of “Cheers!” resonate from most college campuses during this season, but
when celebrations become less about enjoying friends and more about drinking,
it is important to remind students how much is too much.
The consequences of excessive and underage drinking affect virtually all college
campuses and communities. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
reports that 1,700 college students between the ages of
18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including
motor vehicle crashes.
This winter, make it a New Year’s resolution to encourage your students to make their safety a priority. so
CollegeResponse® offers these tips:
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Suggest an alcohol-free gathering: remind students that a
party without alcohol does not mean a boring party. Encourage them to serve
alcohol-free beer or replace drinks with a fun coffee bar.
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Advise them not to drink on an empty stomach — food allows alcohol to be absorbed more slowly.
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If they decide to drink alcohol, encourage them to alternate between alcoholic
and soft drinks.
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Remind them NEVER to drink and drive.
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Encourage them to keep track of how much they are drinking.
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Speak to them about the risks of drinking too much.
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Recommend using a smaller glass. Size matters. Just as food portions have ballooned, so has the size of drinks.
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Medications are the worst cocktail mixers. Talk to them about
how mixing alcohol and medications puts them at risk for dangerous reactions.
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Remind them what the holidays are all about. Encourage them to aim for a safe and healthy year.
Learn more about CollegeResponse and National Alcohol Screening Day®.