The average college student knows what the effects of alcohol are. If you somehow missed out on alcohol education because you were raised among the wolves, I would question what you are doing in college in the first place.

I would say that 99.9% of students at The University of Akron are aware that drinking alcohol may pose some risks to your health. What then, is the point of having an entire week dedicated to educating students about alcohol? I guess the only thing I would find myself unaware of is how many statistics about alcohol a group could use to fill up an entire week.

I am pretty sure that we all know that excessive amounts of alcohol can lead to many horrible things such as date rape, drunk driving, and ridiculous behaviors such as peeing in your roommate’s sock drawer.

Making fun events like a beer goggle obstacle course is a bit counterproductive. I don’t see the relevance of making light of something that is intensely serious. Let’s not forget (root) beer with the police! I just can’t see students lining up for miles to hang out with local law enforcement officers.

In the spirit of Halloween, students would be better served if we made a realistic haunted house where a medical team scrambles as someone flat lines after being hospitalized for alcohol poisoning. How about watching a drunk stumble in the door of his broken-down house and beating his wife and kids? How about setting up an obstacle course that ends in hitting a child crossing the street and being forced to resuscitate him as he bleeds out? These not-so-fun events would have more lasting effects.

Simply talking about the effects of alcohol or making games out of getting wasted won’t make a strong enough impact to change any college party behaviors. It is only when the painful situations become real, that someone truly sees the pain and suffering caused by drinking. We are dealing with students that are (mostly) underage and already breaking the law by consuming alcohol. Does anyone really think that a pep talk is going to change that?

Personally, I think that if by now students are still completely oblivious to the destruction that alcohol can cause, they should think about how much their parents actually care. If you know the risks and still wish to gamble your future for the temporary buzz you get at a party, buy yourself another round. The more you drink, the worse you will do in school. That means that in the real world, I won’t have to work so hard to compete for a job. It is survival of the fittest out there, and if you aren’t aware of that by now, you may want to reconsider your future in college.

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