First Year Students and Fall: extra concern about alcohol misuse?

[seym8842]

I'm becoming concerned about college undergrads coming on campus as freshman this fall. I'm assuming most high school seniors this past year did NOT have much experience socializing with alcohol? I can only imagine the number of alcohol hospitalizations there would be when students, for the first time essentially as a cohort, have the opportunity to drink on a college campus. I fear this may be particularly bad given that students may feel they can go "extra crazy" after having been locked in their parents' houses for a year and a half (did high school students even get to have a normal prom and graduation parties?)

[Ruralguy]

I'm pretty sure they found ways to party....

[jerseyjay]

I'm assuming most high school seniors this past year did NOT have much experience socializing with alcohol?

Why would you make this assumption?

To be honest, the people who I think have been abusing alcohol more than normal are the adults. Which is not to say college freshmen won't have problems with alcohol, but I am not sure if it will be worse than in "normal" times.

[Parasaurolophus]

I don't think they'll be any worse than usual. I don't have much faith that social situations do much to temper alcohol consumption in the young.

That said, I do think there's a real problem with alcohol consumption in our culture--across the board. Then again, you can count the number of drinks I have each year on the fingers of one hand, with fingers left over.

[dismalist]

The legal in public drinking age in civilized countries is 16 or 18. There, at home, one can drink from whenever.

I've always given the kiddies a break.

[Caracal]

I don't think they'll be any worse than usual. I don't have much faith that social situations do much to temper alcohol consumption in the young.

That said, I do think there's a real problem with alcohol consumption in our culture--across the board. Then again, you can count the number of drinks I have each year on the fingers of one hand, with fingers left over.

For most people going to college, the difference is that the controls on drinking in college have to be internal, not external. Kids find ways to go to parties and drink in high school, but mostly they have to do it within certain contexts. You can go to some party and spend the night, but you still have to be back home in the morning and back at school the day after. If you go off to a residential college, you don't have to do any of that. You could drink every night and skip all your classes in the morning if you feel like it. Most people set their own limits, but some have trouble.

[jerseyjay]

I don't think they'll be any worse than usual. I don't have much faith that social situations do much to temper alcohol consumption in the young.

That said, I do think there's a real problem with alcohol consumption in our culture--across the board. Then again, you can count the number of drinks I have each year on the fingers of one hand, with fingers left over.

For most people going to college, the difference is that the controls on drinking in college have to be internal, not external. Kids find ways to go to parties and drink in high school, but mostly they have to do it within certain contexts. You can go to some party and spend the night, but you still have to be back home in the morning and back at school the day after. If you go off to a residential college, you don't have to do any of that. You could drink every night and skip all your classes in the morning if you feel like it. Most people set their own limits, but some have trouble.

This is true about everything in college (at least in the traditional form of going away to college). You can skip class all you like and nobody will say anything. You can wake up at noon and start drinking. You can never do homework. You can do whatever you like and nobody will say anything....until the end of the semester and you fail. Drinking is part of this, but is only a part of learning how to be an adult without immediate external enforcement. Most people are able to deal with this, but some are not.

[Ruralguy]

Nobody will say anything? Not at my college. You might be able to get away with this until the first wave of papers and exams.  It's almost always drug use, sometimes alcohol, and more rarely, severe depression or other emotional/mental problems. Anyway, we get on them way before the end of the semester.

[spork]

Liquor stores were declared essential businesses in the USA at the height of a global pandemic. Why should I worry about alcohol misuse by college students? 

[mamselle]

Sharp irony, that.

M.

[dismalist]

One man's meat is another man's poison.

[the_geneticist]

I don't think they'll be any worse than usual. I don't have much faith that social situations do much to temper alcohol consumption in the young.

That said, I do think there's a real problem with alcohol consumption in our culture--across the board. Then again, you can count the number of drinks I have each year on the fingers of one hand, with fingers left over.

For most people going to college, the difference is that the controls on drinking in college have to be internal, not external. Kids find ways to go to parties and drink in high school, but mostly they have to do it within certain contexts. You can go to some party and spend the night, but you still have to be back home in the morning and back at school the day after. If you go off to a residential college, you don't have to do any of that. You could drink every night and skip all your classes in the morning if you feel like it. Most people set their own limits, but some have trouble.

This is true about everything in college (at least in the traditional form of going away to college). You can skip class all you like and nobody will say anything. You can wake up at noon and start drinking. You can never do homework. You can do whatever you like and nobody will say anything....until the end of the semester and you fail. Drinking is part of this, but is only a part of learning how to be an adult without immediate external enforcement. Most people are able to deal with this, but some are not.

Yep, it's the "adulthood light" freedom of choice that makes college fun and challenging for many new students.  Wear pjs all day? Why not!  Eat ice cream for breakfast?  Go for it!  Realize that your professors won't tell your folks if you skip class or don't turn in an assignment?  Some students don't really realize it and still act as if they will get in trouble.  They need to transition from being worried about the external controls (My mom will be mad if she knew I skipped class!) to being self-reliant (If I skip class, I will be behind and have to work even harder to get caught up).  I'm also worried that the freshmen will be even more used to lax requirements than the typical cohort. 

[Caracal]

I don't think they'll be any worse than usual. I don't have much faith that social situations do much to temper alcohol consumption in the young.

That said, I do think there's a real problem with alcohol consumption in our culture--across the board. Then again, you can count the number of drinks I have each year on the fingers of one hand, with fingers left over.

For most people going to college, the difference is that the controls on drinking in college have to be internal, not external. Kids find ways to go to parties and drink in high school, but mostly they have to do it within certain contexts. You can go to some party and spend the night, but you still have to be back home in the morning and back at school the day after. If you go off to a residential college, you don't have to do any of that. You could drink every night and skip all your classes in the morning if you feel like it. Most people set their own limits, but some have trouble.

This is true about everything in college (at least in the traditional form of going away to college). You can skip class all you like and nobody will say anything. You can wake up at noon and start drinking. You can never do homework. You can do whatever you like and nobody will say anything....until the end of the semester and you fail. Drinking is part of this, but is only a part of learning how to be an adult without immediate external enforcement. Most people are able to deal with this, but some are not.

Yep, it's the "adulthood light" freedom of choice that makes college fun and challenging for many new students.  Wear pjs all day? Why not!  Eat ice cream for breakfast?  Go for it!  Realize that your professors won't tell your folks if you skip class or don't turn in an assignment?  Some students don't really realize it and still act as if they will get in trouble.  They need to transition from being worried about the external controls (My mom will be mad if she knew I skipped class!) to being self-reliant (If I skip class, I will be behind and have to work even harder to get caught up). 

In my case, it really made me far more responsible. In high school, I always felt like everyone was always bothering me about doing my work, and I reacted by foot dragging. When I got to college and nobody was monitoring me, I did things because I felt like I'd be letting myself down if I didn't. Knowing that I could just blow everything off if I wanted, made me much more diligent.