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According to Stanford Medicine, “about 20% of college students fit the pattern of having alcohol use disorder.” According to Christopher Townsend, an assistant professor at Texas Tech University, with continued activity, the underdeveloped young adult brain becomes reliant on alcohol before the consequences are realized.
I want to make it clear that I do not introduce this intimidating statistic as an effort to preach to the youth, which I know so many adults are fond of doing. Gen Z has heard these arguments our entire lives, and generations before us heard them too. The D.A.R.E. programs of the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s sought to teach schoolchildren that they could “just say no” to drugs and substance use disorders. However, this did not prove effective. A 2011 study review from the National Institute of Justice concluded that in analysis of individuals who participated in DARE and those who did not, “there were no statistically significant differences between treatment and control group participants in drug use, attitudes toward drug use, or self-esteem.”
I introduce these facts as a way to begin a conversation about the way we as young people treat substance use. These statistics desensitize us, dampening their effect. Hearing about the consequences of drinking without discussing the systems that cause it feels like being talked down to. The fact that 1,519 college students die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries each year loses its human impact. It becomes harder to tie the numbers to real people, and young people are pushed further from the authorities who use statistics to scare them. Young people run in the other direction, trying to prove these numbers wrong. Nobody wins.
Instead, I think the answer is to look at the bigger picture. I, as a young person, am frustrated when authority figures attempt to make us feel like every problem we face is our fault and our responsibility to fix. We did not choose the systems that govern our lives. Why do college kids drink? They drink because they are under pressure from so many angles. The pressure to perform academically, to fit in socially, to prepare for an increasingly fraught future. These are all issues that the average student at Lewis & Clark faces, especially on a campus of people who care deeply about social issues while also feeling isolated from the city that it occupies. This seems to be the answer to why students may feel like college is better with alcohol.
I think that forming a better relationship with alcohol involves taking a look back. Before one heads to their next party, they should ask what drinking means to them. It is worth asking ourselves how often we drink, and what the motivation behind it is. Are we drinking to numb ourselves? Are we drinking to avoid the feelings of awkwardness and isolation that might come with feeling uneasy at a party? Or are we drinking to truly enjoy a moment of bonding without inhibitions with our friends? I think when we start asking those questions is when we become more responsible drinkers. I see the perfect college environment as one where nobody treats alcohol as an ingredient that is needed to have fun, but instead as a tool that can be used responsibly and in moderation. As I have demonstrated, alcohol can have serious consequences on a young person’s body and mind. Awareness of that fact is a necessary first step to creating a healthier connection between substances and fun.
Moving forward, how do we treat our bodies and our community better? Many of our peers treat alcohol as a necessary ingredient for weekend fun. The truth is, alcohol should not be a determining factor in the degree to which you enjoy yourself, and continuing to treat it as such endangers us as a community. Yes, substances can be fun. They can be a way to loosen up and enjoy a night with our friends. But as young people, whose chemical receptors have much development to do, it might be worth taking a second look at why and how we enjoy drinking.
In real life, this translates to creating healthier habits with alcohol use. Before you attend a party, hydrate and have a conversation with your friends about how you feel and what your goals are for the night. Make it clear what you want to accomplish. If you want to make a new friend or dance or relieve some stress, make that clear. Use a chart to check how much alcohol would put someone of your body weight over the legal Blood Alcohol Concentration limit. Hold yourself and your friends accountable. Pace yourself. If you feel a bit uncomfortable, do not make your first instinct to reach for another drink. Check in with the people you trust and assess whether or not it’s time to leave. Starting with small reminders like these can help cultivate a culture where young people feel comfortable making decisions based on what they know about themselves.
Every social change begins with many people making small decisions in an effort to create a better tomorrow. A world where young people do not turn to alcohol out of desperation is possible. A world where young people treat each other with mutual respect and understand the consequences of unhealthy drinking habits is on the horizon. It begins with deciding to show up to a party with clarity and health in mind.
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