College is a time when freedom and exploration can cause young adults to make harmful decisions such as substance abuse. Drinking alcohol is becoming a rite of passage for these teenagers and young adults. They drink simply to get drunk. Binge drinking is when an individual consumes five or more alcoholic beverages. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) found that college students drink more than twice that amount. They refer to this adverse behavior as high-intensity drinking.
What are the consequences of high-intensity college drinking?
Aside from the obvious health concerns, binge and high-intensity drinking are why college students engage in harmful behavior. Alcohol clouds the mind and lowers inhibitions. They are not thinking straight and are unable to make sound decisions. Here are the consequences that can happen when a college student is too drunk to function:
- Drunk driving and the possibility of an OWI or DUI offense
- Injuries and damages from driving while intoxicated
- Poor academic performance
- Mental health issues
- Higher chances of being involved in assault or sexual assault
The legal repercussions can prevent the convicted college student from continuing their studies and finding employment in the future. In Michigan, a person can wipe their record clean if the DUI offense did not involve serious injury or death. But it may not help with other convictions.
What can parents do?
As easy as it is to say that prevention is key, most parents will agree that their kids will only rebel or find other ways to drink. The most parents can do is make their kids aware of the consequences and stand by them. Just because your kid engaged in high-intensity drinking does not mean they automatically committed an offense. One of their peers may be falsely accusing them of assault.
You must ask the right questions. Were they in actual physical control of the vehicle? Did they commit the assault, or were they simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? People can take advantage of very intoxicated people. In this case, someone could be manipulating the story by using your kid, who could have been unaware or unconscious at that time. Do not let your kid take the fall.