My first month at AU, the news broke of a former student who had fallen off a balcony to his death. The cause of his fall was determined to be excessive drinking. I remember thinking this to be an unlucky tragedy caused by a rare mistake. Why would anyone drink themselves to the point of losing common sense and their regard for safety?
Unfortunately, three years at AU have proven to me that there are plenty of students too stupid to learn from such unfortunate accidents. Every week, I read the police blotter and marvel at the sheer idiocy of intoxicated AU students. One student vomits on the bus, another passes out on the Letts-Anderson quad and many require ambulance transports to the hospital.
What's worse is that many seem proud of it. Classmates and co-workers brag about how drunk they were over the weekend or the dumb stunts their friends pulled while inebriated. Some had sex with strangers and others passed out in their own vomit. Many of these students are underage. For these people, drinking themselves stupid has collectively become a rite of passage to adulthood and a symbol of rock-star rebellion. In their twisted logic, the release of bodily fluids and medical attention equates to being cool.
A student who drinks underage or until he or she is physically sick or mentally incapacitated isn't grown-up or cool. This behavior demonstrates the person is too immature to drink alcohol or even follow the law. I am simply tired of seeing unconscious people lying face down on the sidewalk or having to remind the intoxicated person walking down my hallway where the bathroom or their own room is located. It should also be noted that vomiting after drinking 10 beers is not any better than vomiting after drinking 10 glasses of eggnog or after eating 40 Chicken McNuggets. The only difference is the weapon of choice.
Besides the disgrace of being intoxicated, there are plenty of personal consequences. Each year, about 110,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are arrested for alcohol-related violations such as public drunkenness or driving under the influence, according to a series of studies conducted by the National Institute of Alcohol and Alcoholism from 2002 to 2005. More than 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related date rape or sexual assault, and more than 100,000 students in this age group report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to sexual intercourse, according to the NIAA.
On a more somber note, the NIAA also reports that more than 1,700 students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from unintentional alcohol-related injuries each year. This is not just a statistic. This means each year, 1,700 promising careers and futures will end abruptly, and 1,700 families will grieve, never to see their loved ones experience the journey of life. The gravity of these consequences are made humble by the shockingly easy manner in which these deaths occur. If you drink and drive, a wrong turn may cost your life. Not thinking clearly from too much alcohol may peril you when crossing the street or when you're in the presence of others looking for the opportunity to harm you. The difference between drinking and not drinking in these situations is that a sober mind will improve decision-making and awareness.
College is meant to enrich the intellectual and personal maturity of young people. Alcohol abuse is a step backward from this goal, corrupting wisdom in favor of senseless behavior. Alcohol abuse can be a cry for help, an attempt to curb the encroaching duties of adulthood and maintain the carefree ways of youth. Unfortunately, many students who fall prey to this affliction pay the ultimate price. The more students learn not to fear maturity, the fewer lives will be lost on the balcony of risk.
Patricio Chile is a junior in the School of Communication and the School of Public Affairs and the metro/national news editor of The Eagle.
