The Influence of Peer Drinking Behavior
It’s quite likely that your student has or will come into contact with drinking behaviors this semester. Unfortunately, whether or not your student is choosing to participate, risky drinking doesn’t just impact the students who are engaging in the activity.
Consider talking with your student about this "secondary drinking effect" to make sure that he is standing up for his rights as a campus community member too. It can be a tough topic, yet it's important.
Some of the ways that students may be negatively impacted by others' alcohol abuse are:
- taking care of an intoxicated roommate or other student
- experiencing an unwanted sexual advance
- having a loud hallway on nights when intoxicated residents return
- getting into an argument with an intoxicated individual
- not getting enough uninterrupted sleep or study time
- having property damaged
If your student experiences any of these situations, encourage him to talk with his RA or another staff member on campus. We want to know this information so we can address these behaviors and their community impacts. Fortunately, most students choose to drink responsibly or not at all. It’s those select few, however, who can disrupt the lives of many.
Learn More …
Visit www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/College Parents/ to learn more about drinking on campus.
There are links for:
- What Parents Need to Know About College Drinking
- College Fact Sheet for Parents
- College Alcohol Policies
- Snapshot of Drinking Consequences
It's a great resource!