- August 1, 2016 |
- Category: DUI and Courtroom Process
- Category: News
Do you have a son or daughter who is leaving for college in Ohio this fall? If so, there’s only a few weeks left before the start of the fall semester and your emotions are probably starting to amplify. First and foremost, most parents feel extremely proud of their child and happy to see them embark on this exciting journey. However, it’s also very common for parents to grieve the fact that their son or daughter is about to leave home after the first eighteen years of their life. In addition, parents generally feel some level of anxiety about their child’s future welfare—whether they’ll make a healthy transition to this new environment, fit in socially and do well academically. If you’re the parent of a soon-to-be Ohio college freshman and feeling a flood of these emotions, try to take solace in the fact that you’re not alone.
There are many things you can do to prepare for the upcoming departure and help your son or daughter make the transition, one of which is to educate yourself about drug and alcohol abuse on college campus. Many parents aren’t aware how prevalent substance abuse can be on Ohio college campuses. Drinking at college has become a ritual that students often see as an integral part of their higher education experience. Many Ohio students go to college with established drinking habits, and the college environment can amplify drinking problems. The Washington Post reports that more than eighty percent of college students drink alcohol, and almost fifty percent report binge drinking.
In fact, there are many disturbing statistics that reflect the problems caused by college drinking: (1) Approximately 2000 college students die from alcohol-related injuries every year, including motor vehicle accidents; (2) Approximately 600,000 college students are unintentionally injured each year while under the influence of alcohol; (3) Approximately 700,000 college students are assaulted by impaired students every year: (4) Approximately 97,000 college students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape on college campuses each year; (5) Approximately twenty five percent of college students report academic consequences of drinking alcohol, including missing classes, performing poorly on exams, and receiving lower grades than non-drinking students; (6) Approximately 3.5 million college students drink and drive on college campuses each year; (7) Approximately 110,000 college students are arrested for an alcohol-related violation each year, including public intoxication or DUI; (8) Approximately one-third of all college students meet the clinical criteria for alcohol abuse.
So what can parents of an Ohio college freshman do to help their son or daughter avoid the perils of alcohol abuse? A Federal Task Force of the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism published a study entitled A Call to Action: Changing the Culture of Drinking at U.S. Colleges. In it, the group reports the following advice: (1) Pay close attention to your son’s or daughter’s college activities during their first six weeks on campus. With a great deal of free time and no parental supervision, many Ohio college students start binge drinking during the first few weeks of college. Not surprisingly, excessive alcohol consumption can interfere with successful adaptation to life on an Ohio college campus. Parents should know that approximately one-third of first-year students drop out of Ohio colleges after their first year; (2) Find out if your Ohio college offers a freshman orientation program that educates incoming students about campus policies related to alcohol use. If there is, attend with your son or daughter, or at least be familiar with the program and encourage your son or daughter to make a visit; (3) Make sure that your son or daughter understands the penalties for underage drinking in Ohio, DUI/OVI, public intoxication, using a fake ID, drinking and driving, assault, disorderly conduct and other alcohol-related offenses; (4) Call your Ohio college freshman frequently during their first few months of college to inquire and ask about their social activities; (5) If possible, stay in touch with school administration and make sure you understand the Ohio university’s “parental notification” policy. If your son or daughter gets charged with student DUI/OVI or another alcohol-related offense, you probably want to know about it right away.
Hopefully, you can utilize these recommendations to ease the emotional uncertainty that comes with having a son or daughter go away to college. More importantly, educating your child about the dangers of excessive alcohol or drug use may be the difference between success or failure in this next stage of their lives. Best of luck to all parents who are going through this exciting journey with their children.
