Happy Hour - shots of common sense

Happy Hour - shots of common sense

By Nicole E. Avery

GVL Columnist
4/11/2010

There are a couple sayings I've always remembered when it comes to drinking: never drink alone and don't drink when you're upset.

Everyone makes mistakes and as cliche of a statement as that is, we all know it to be correct. Another thing we know to be true is that we are responsible for the choices we make and the good, the bad or ugly that might result from that choice.

We do things we are not supposed to do all the time. We lie, steal, cheat and there are consequences for those actions that we're aware of and accept.

So then why, when it comes to college students and drinking, drugs and unplanned pregnancies, do we as a society take the blame from the person who made that specific choice and put it on the of community effort in making general "awareness" more prevalent?

The front cover of the Lanthorn last Thursday talked about college drinking being used as a way for students to deal with stress and one of the experts interviewed put emphasis on the students' actions often being without the knowledge that drinking can lead to addiction and that alcohol is a substance that is easily and often abused.

It was a good article and mentioned the importance of programs that bring awareness to the negative affects of irresponsible decisions through substance and alcohol abuse.

Yet after reading, I felt there is a lack of accountability being put on the college students who make the decision to drink in the first place.

College students by definition of their title are in college to be students -- not party animals. Neither their parents (nor the government for that matter) pay for their education so they can rot their teeth and brain cells away on sweet mixed drinks, hearty vodka blends and deliciously toxic jungle juice.

I also don't believe for a moment there is a lack of awareness to the effects of alcohol.

Alcohol abuse and drinking and driving are among some of the most controversial issues regularly discussed in the media and politics. Warnings and examples of the harmful affects of heavy drinking are prevalent in commercials, ads and in some cases even in our own families and own friends.

There are two things college drinking to relieve stress boils down to: common sense and choice.

Fact: Everyone on a college campus is stressed.

Fact: There are other ways to relieve stress besides drinking until you black out or so often that you get behind on your school work and begin to fail courses.

Since I'm a female writer I'm sure some of you are going to read this and accuse me of trying to "mom" the student body of Grand Valley State University, which I'm not, but you'd probably rather hear this from me than your own mother.

We need to get our stuff together. We're better than vomiting every night in bushes outside of apartment complexes or waking up in a bathtub similar to Ke$ha in "Tik Tok."

Common sense must play a pivotal factor in when people make decisions. You can only use the, "I was young and stupid" card for so long and trust me, it's already gotten old.

navery@lanthorn.com

Yet after reading, I felt there is a lack of accountability being put on the college students who make the decision to drink in the first place.

College students by definition of their title are in college to be students -- not party animals. Neither their parents (nor the government for that matter) pay for their education so they can rot their teeth and brain cells away on sweet mixed drinks, hearty vodka blends and deliciously toxic jungle juice.

I also don't believe for a moment there is a lack of awareness to the effects of alcohol.

Alcohol abuse and drinking and driving are among some of the most controversial issues regularly discussed in the media and politics. Warnings and examples of the harmful affects of heavy drinking are prevalent in commercials, ads and in some cases even in our own families and own friends.

There are two things college drinking to relieve stress boils down to: common sense and choice.

Fact: Everyone on a college campus is stressed.

Fact: There are other ways to relieve stress besides drinking until you black out or so often that you get behind on your school work and begin to fail courses.

Since I'm a female writer I'm sure some of you are going to read this and accuse me of trying to "mom" the student body of Grand Valley State University, which I'm not, but you'd probably rather hear this from me than your own mother.

We need to get our stuff together. We're better than vomiting every night in bushes outside of apartment complexes or waking up in a bathtub similar to Ke$ha in "Tik Tok."

Common sense must play a pivotal factor in when people make decisions. You can only use the, "I was young and stupid" card for so long and trust me, it's already gotten old.

navery@lanthorn.co