Alcohol and the College Student
College and alcohol go together like PB&J, right? Some sources might lead you to believe that this is the case. But it's no big deal to drink if you can "handle it", right? Maybe. Maye not. I guess that depends on how you define "handling" it. And that decision is primarily yours based on your own personal goals.
Have you ever not remembered what you did while drinking? Do you ever have trouble slowing down or stopping once you start drinking? Have you ever gotten into arguments with friends while drinking? Have you been in trouble with RLAs, RHDs, or the police because of your drinking? Have you missed class or performed poorly on a test, paper or project because of a hangover or being too tired from going too hard?
You don't have to have an alcohol problem to have a problem with alcohol.
Most students picture the student who has a drinking problem as one who is getting all F's, has stopped going to class and gets trashed every night. While this is one possible scenario, many students who drink "just for fun" and only do so on the weekends also may have a problem with alcohol. They might experience blackouts and pass out. They might get into arguments with their friends or their boyfriend or girlfriend. They may even get in trouble with the University or the police. Because this type of behavior can be fairly common on a college campus, many think it is acceptable - even expected - behavior. The truth is this is problematic behavior and it can lead to serious consequences - including death. At the very least it can compromise personal goals and make college that much harder.
So is your drinking affecting you?
What role does drinking play in your life? Take the e-CHUG and find out. e-CHUG is a personalized on-line tool that gives you easy to understand and interesting feedback about your drinking. It is anonymous, takes only 10 minutes to complete, and you can take it when you want and access it where ever you want, just as long as you have web access. e-CHUG gives you all kinds of interesting feedback. For example, you will be able to calculate how much money you spend annually on alcohol, determine how your drinking compares to other Lawrentians, help identify if you are an at-risk drinker, and help calculate how many calories you consume from alcohol each month. So how many “cheeseburgers” do you drink a month? And how much exercise will it take you to burn the calories off? Take the e-CHUG and find out.
For a stripped down, more-to-the-point assessment, take the alcohol screening. While the other mental health screenings on this particular website are also very helpful and informative, click on the alcohol screening to get to the questions about drinking.
After assessing your alcohol use, you may find that you need to talk to a counselor about your drinking or the drinking of someone you care about. If this is the case, we encourage you to make an appointment with Counseling Services by calling x6574.
Other useful links:
www.b4udrink.org - Visit the virtual bar where you can consume different kinds of drinks and see how they affect your blood alcohol content. Fun and informative without the cost or the hangover of trying this on your own!
www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/collegestudents/ - Boundless amounts of valid, interesting information about college students and drinking.
www.partywithaplan.org - Looking for some suggestions about how to manage your drinking (which might mean not drinking at all)? This site gives an example of an easy-to-remember way to drink (or not drink) safely and responsibly.
Local AA meetings:
www.district02aa.org/meetings/index.htm - A detailed listing of AA meetings - some just a few blocks off campus.