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ONLINE RESOURCES

TULANE PARENTAL NOTIFICATION POLICY - A must read for all parents!

  Pheonix House:  Relevant information for parents of transitioning college freshmen

  College Drinking Prevention.gov

Created by the National Institue on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAAA), this website is your one-stop resource for comprehensive research-based issues related to alcohol abuse & binge drinking amoung college students.

  National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - A valuable resource for NIH data, brochures, fact sheets and other publications related to alcohol abuse. 

  Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration -Covers a broad range of topics such as depression, suicide prevention, faith based iniatives, etc. related to substance abuse.

  The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention: The Parent Connection -Addresses tough topics of discussion for parents to initiate with their college bound students and their university. 

  The National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence - One-stop shopping for the consumer, students and the media who want objective information, including statistics, interviews with medical/scientific experts and recommendations about drinking from leading health authorities.

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ARTICLES FOR PARENTS

Eight Points For Parents Speaking With Students About Alcohol

Any parent who reads the newspaper or watches news on television has seen and heard tragic stories about the outcome of excessive drinking on campus. Parents are frightened by these stories and have every right to be.

As a resource, advisor and advocate for the more than 32 million households with parents of current and future college students throughout the United States, College Parents of America (CPA) shares this concern.

CPA is advising parents to talk with their children about the impact of high-risk drinking on their lives and their responsibilities to themselves and as peers. CPA also is negotiating for possible insurance incentives for students signing pledges against high-risk drinking and drinking and driving. In addition, CPA and the U.S. Department of Education's Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention are working together to further involve parents and other parties in individual campus and other local efforts.

In cooperation with William DeJong, Director of the Higher Education Center, and Linda Devine, Assistant Dean of Student Life at the University of Oregon, College Parents of America has developed the following eight talking points to assist parents in talking with their students about alcohol.

• Set clear and realistic expectations regarding academic performance. Studies conducted nationally have demonstrated that partying may contribute as much to a student's decline in grades as the difficulty of his or her academic work. If students know their parents expect sound academic work, they are likely to be more devoted to their studies and have less time to get in trouble with alcohol.

• Stress to students that alcohol is toxic and excessive consumption can fatally poison. This is not a scare tactic. The fact is students die every year from alcohol poisoning. Discourage dangerous drinking through participation in drinking games, fraternity hazing, or in any other way. Parents should ask their students to also have the courage to intervene when they see someone putting their life at risk through participation in dangerous drinking.

• Tell students to intervene when classmates are in trouble with alcohol. Nothing is more tragic than an unconscious student being left to die while others either fail to recognize that the student is in jeopardy or fail to call for help due to fear of getting the student in trouble.

• Tell students to stand up for their right to a safe academic environment. Students who do not drink can be affected by the behavior of those who do, ranging from interrupted study time to assault or unwanted sexual advances. Students can confront these problems directly by discussing them with the offender. If that fails, they should notify the housing director or other residence hall staff.

• Know the alcohol scene on campus and talk to students about it. Students grossly exaggerate the use of alcohol and other drugs by their peers. A recent survey found that University of Oregon students believed 96 percent of their peers drink alcohol at least once a week, when the actual rate was 52 percent. Students are highly influenced by peers and tend to drink up to what they perceive to be the norm. Confronting misperceptions about alcohol use is vital.

• Avoid tales of drinking exploits from your own college years. Entertaining students with stories of drinking back in "the good old days" normalizes what, even then, was abnormal behavior. It also appears to give parental approval to dangerous alcohol consumption.

• Encourage your student to volunteer in community work. In addition to structuring free time, volunteerism provides students with opportunities to develop job-related skills and to gain valuable experience. Helping others also gives students a broader outlook and a healthier perspective on the opportunities they enjoy. Volunteer work on campus helps students further connect with their school, increasing the likelihood of staying in college.

• Make it clear -- Underage alcohol consumption and alcohol-impaired driving are against the law. Parents should make it clear that they do not condone breaking the law. Parents of college students should openly and clearly express disapproval of underage drinking and dangerous alcohol consumption. And, if parents themselves drink, they should present a positive role model in the responsible use of alcohol.

Talk with your student about alcohol. While parents may not be able to actively monitor students away from home, they can be available to talk and listen, and that is just as important. It can do more than help shape lives, it can save lives.

Source:  College Parents of America (CPA) is the only national membership association dedicated to helping parents prepare and put their children through college easily, economically and safely. CPA provides new information on savings strategies, financial aid and tax savings; advises parents on the individual challenges and opportunities they will encounter during their student's college years; and serves as their advocate on Capitol Hill, in state capitals and on the nation's campuses.

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Fall Semester-A Time For Parents To Revisit Discussions About College Drinking

Download Adobe PDF version (781 KB)

As college students arrive on campus this fall, it’s a time of new experiences, new friendships, and making memories that will last a lifetime. Unfortunately for many, it is also a time of excessive drinking and dealing with its aftermath—vandalism, violence, sexual aggression, and even death.

Consequences of High-risk College Drinking Source: Hingson, R. et al. Magnitude of Alcohol-Related Mortality and Morbidity Among U.S. College Students Ages 18-24: Changes from 1998 to 2001. Annual Review of Public Health, vol. 26, 259-79; 2005.

According to research summarized in a College Task Force report to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the consequences of excessive drinking by college students are more significant, more destructive, and more costly than many parents realize. And these consequences affect students whether or not they drink.

Statistics from this report, which were updated recently, indicate that drinking by college students aged 18 to 24 contributes to an estimated 1,700 student deaths, 599,000 injuries, and 97,000 cases of sexual assault or date rape each year.

Early Weeks Are Critical

As the fall semester begins, parents can use this important time to help prepare their college-age sons and daughters by talking with them about the consequences of excessive drinking.

This rapid increase in heavy drinking over a relatively short period of time can contribute to serious difficulties with the transition to college.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the first 6 weeks of the fi rst semester are critical to a first-year student’s academic success. Because many students initiate heavy drinking during these early days of college, the potential exists for excessive alcohol consumption to interfere with successful adaptation to campus life. The transition to college is often difficult and about one-third of fi rst-year students fail to enroll for their second year.

Parents Can Help

During these crucial early weeks, parents can do a variety of things to stay involved. They can inquire about campus alcohol policies, call their sons and daughters frequently, and ask about roommates and living arrangements.

They should also discuss the penalties for underage drinking as well as how alcohol use can lead to date rape, violence, and academic failure.

Resources Are Available

For parents who want to talk to their college-age sons and daughters about the consequences of college drinking, a variety of helpful resources are available from NIAAA.

A special guide for parents offers research-based information including the need to stay involved during freshman year and how to get assistance if faced with an alcohol-related crisis.

The Task Force’s award-winning website, www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov, features this guide along with links to alcohol policies at colleges across the country, an interactive diagram of the human body and how alcohol affects it, an interactive alcohol cost calculator, and the full text of all Task Force materials.

Copies of all Task Force materials, including the parents’ guide, may be ordered from this website or by contacting the NIAAA Publications Distribution Center, P.O. Box 10686, Rockville, MD 20849-0686.

Historical document
Last reviewed: 8/20/2007

source:  http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/NIAAACollegeMaterials/collegeFactSheetForParents.aspx

Suggested reading for parents

       I wish we had kept closer tabs on our son,” says Chris Volkmann, coauthor of
FROM BINGE TO BLACKOUT (New American Library-Penguin, August 2006).

"Parents can take the lead in talking to their kids about alcohol choices. With a great deal of free time and the exhilaration of arriving on campus, the first six weeks are crucial.”

Written with her 26-year-old son Toren, FROM BINGE TO BLACKOUT
reveals how the family missed the signs of Toren’s addiction and describes the agony of
the ensuing discovery. Both the book and their workshops, which cater to teens, parents,
high school assemblies, college student/parent orientation weekends and community
groups, are designed to educate youth and families about alcohol choices and the
consequences of heavy drinking.

Here Chris and Toren share five ways to help you stay involved with your college
freshman:
• Find out if there is a program during orientation that educates students about
campus policies related to alcohol use. If there is one, attend with your son or
daughter.
• Inquire about and make certain you understand the college's "parental
notification" policy.
• Call your son or daughter frequently during the first 6 weeks of college.
• Inquire about their roommates, the roommates' behavior, and how disagreements
are settled or disruptive behavior dealt with.
• Make sure that your son or daughter understands the penalties for underage
drinking, public drunkenness, using a fake ID, driving under the influence,
assault, and other alcohol-related offenses. Discuss how alcohol use can lead to
date rape, violence, and academic failure.

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