AlcoholEdu: Let’s change the way we view drinking in college

So here it goes: I’m a freshman here at Pitt, and I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when coming into college. I’m not the most social person in the world, and I have never been interested in going to parties or drinking with strangers. 

It may be abnormal, but I have never condoned drinking just to get drunk — it just doesn’t appeal to me.

I spent a lot of my life growing up around people who dealt with drug and alcohol dependence. Countless friends and family members of mine have dealt with substance abuse — many of them could not get through daily tasks without it.

This put things into perspective for me when I got to college. 

Maybe I’m naive, but I found that parties at Pitt were much more prevalent than I expected. I was somewhat surprised to hear so many stories about miscellaneous drunk shenanigans.

This led to a pressing question in my mind: How can a college student possibly know if he or she is simply having a good time or dealing with something more serious, like an addiction?

In the media today, partying and college practically go hand-in-hand. Many students think that they need to drink every weekend in order to have an authentic college experience, as is portrayed on television shows and movies.

Take “National Lampoon’s Van Wilder,” for instance. In the movie, Party Liaison Van Wilder is a seventh year college student whose father is tired of his relentless partying and ceases to pay his tuition. To make money, he becomes a professional party thrower and, through throwing constant parties, Wilder gets the girl, saves his college career and, ultimately, becomes a campus legend. 

Unfortunately, reality is not as kind to those who drink as consistently as Van Wilder does.

According to a 2012 study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, approximately 24.6 percent of people 18 years or older have engaged in binge drinking at least once in the past month. According to the study, roughly 20 percent of college students meet the criteria for an alcohol use disorder (AUD). 

Yet, it’s almost impossible for college students to be aware there is an issue with their drinking, seeing as many students do it every weekend. Heavy drinking may seem normal or even expected. 

Nonetheless, students should be aware of the amount of alcohol they consume and what that means for their bodies and personal lives.

Within all university settings, resources need to be available to educate students on when casual drinking becomes a problem worth addressing. 

Upon arriving at Pitt for orientation week, all freshmen are required to take part in AlcoholEdu, an alcohol education program administered to incoming freshmen at colleges and universities throughout the country.

“Whether a student decides to drink or not, AlcoholEdu provides students with information and feedback to empower students to make well-informed decisions about alcohol and to help cope with drinking behaviors of peers,” said Megan Stahl, a health educator on alcohol, tobacco and other drugs at Pitt’s Student Health Services.

When partaking in AlcoholEdu, I felt an overwhelming feeling of relief that Pitt staff and administration care for the well-being of students who planned to party. The program presented statistical information and hypothetical scenarios that could occur at college parties. It felt to me like they were saying, “Hey, we don’t agree with this but, if you decide to do it, here’s what you should do.”

Yet, while I think it’s important to teach students how to be safe and responsible while drinking, why not teach them not to drink at all? 

If students drinking in college is a problem, we need to take a stronger stance against it. Upperclassmen could emphasize this to younger students by sharing stories about negative effects of excessive drinking.

Another way to discourage students from putting themselves in dangerous situations could be for the University to heavily promote non-alcoholic programs offered during the late-night weekend hours. This would be especially important for freshmen, whose first impressions of college could stick with them for the next four years — for their sake, these first impressions should not be of reckless binge drinking.

Throughout orientation week programs and the continued promotion of late-night weekend activities, students can see that drinking does not have to be synonymous with college. 

Even though the fad of binge drinking in college won’t end anytime soon, it’s important for us, as students, to be mindful of the habits we can get ourselves into. Help is readily made available through the University Counseling Center, and the University provides specialized services for those who may experience problems with substance abuse. 

College is an amazing time to explore new things and to find ourselves, but it’s also a time where we’re able to help ourselves and to grow as individuals. Students need to know that alcohol is not conducive to this.

Email Bridget at BLB98@pitt.edu