Did you see 60 Minutes tonight and the amount of drinking that goes on at college?

[Ellen]

I am terribly naive - the amount of drinking is astounding - the sheer quantity each student consumes at a time, and they hurry to feel it sooner...very frightening.

The Debate On Lowering The Drinking Age, 60 Minutes: Some Say Age Should Be Lowered To 18, But MADD And Others Strongly Disag... (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/19/60minutes/main4813571.shtml)

Video here: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4819332n

[OSUMom]

I really don't think many students think it's deadly like what happened to Gordie Bailey. I'm shocked:eek: no one checked on Gordie. Before the end of the video my thoughts went to education and awareness.

And... how about really ramping up healthy alternatives and the marketing of the alternatives to drinking on the weekends on campus - this is how many college kids de-stress from their heavy course loads during the week.

The whole thing is not pretty. :(

[MamaC]

I have been appalled at the amount of drinking that goes on at colleges today. Don't get me wrong, I was no saint in college but there is just SO MUCH. Most of the kids I know are pretty good about having a DD but not always. I personally cannot wait to have my kid out of that situation. They had a freshman last year who had alcohol poisoning, and it wasn't her first time. And it didn't stop her from returning to the circuit the following week.

Jenn's school is getting such a bad reputation that I've had parents come into the career center and announce that no way are they letting their kids apply there. It's a cesspool. And it's far from being the only one. Virginia is turning into a BIG party school state.

[wilf]

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.. ;)

I'm sure my parents would have been appalled to know what I was up to, and in turn I'm sure their parents would have been likewise. The drinking age was 18 when I was coming up, and the alcohol consumption of myself and my peers actually declined when we turned 18 because it was legal (and thus not nearly as much fun)..

We are all only young once, and there is a raw exuberance that comes with being young and strong (as we'll ever be) and full of life that expresses itself in every conceivable way - some of them quite risky, and many not at all approved of by the parental generation.

It is maybe harder to have a feel for this if ones' teens and early twenties were calmer or more sheltered for whatever reason, but for many it is a crazy mixed-up time in which one makes a lot of decisions and choices which in retrospect were poor. But it is also a time of incredible learning, as one transitions from child to adult. And for most, teenaged misadventures do not prevent one from moving on and becoming a responsible adult.

*****

DD turns 13 in a month, and I will be holding my breath until she comes out the other side at 20. The D will make it harder in some ways, but easier in others..:cwds:

[StillMamamia]

Oh my! Yes, there is a lot of drinking at colleges. Even back when I was in college.
I remember going to visit a friend at another college. They had some kind of party, organized by a college group. They had access to a school bus (yep, the yellow ones) which took us to and from the campus. In between, we were out in the middle of nowhere...getting drunk.:o That was the whole purpose of it all, don't ask me why. At the time, why was non-existent for most of us, it was rather why not.
It'll continue to happen, lowering the legal drinking age or not.

BUT, if the legal DRIVING age would be changed to 18 or 21, then MAYBE there would be some positive impact....I can only wonder.

[kiwikid]

The legal drinking age is 18 here in NZ. When I took Elizabeth down to University they told us at the 'Parents Program' that our kids would probably experiment with Alcohol, Drugs, Relationships, Sex etc :eek: It seems to be expected that kids will drink and drink lots. I nearly bought her straight back home with me. :(

There are lots of TV ads on at the moment about making sure you feed your guests as well as supply drink, if you have a party. The kids say "You Eat- You Cheat" :(

[OSUMom]

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.. ;)

I guess maybe it did sound like I was casting stones. Oops - didn't mean it that way. :o Believe me I have my own share of stories from my younger days that I'm not proud of! If this kind of behavior will continue which I think it will, maybe we need to campaign for a designated partier like a designated driver - one who stays sober to keep an eye on everyone though that is a hefty responsibility. Maybe just as a roommate so in Gordie's case, that wouldn't have happened. I just find that so sad.

[Amy C.]

College-aged people have been drinking a lot for decades. The premise of the 60 minutes program is that it seems to have increased in recent years -- that is why older adults are atonished. These adults do remember what they did in their youth and the current batch of 18-20 year olds are drinking a lot in a short period of time.