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Amid papers, lectures and tests, students across the nation are faced with half-priced martinis, pitcher specials and the ever-popular pint nights.
A unique culture faces students upon entering college. According to a USA Today study, published on Wednesday, freshmen are uniquely vulnerable to cases of alcohol abuse.
Students and faculty agree that alcohol abuse can be a problem; the degree is unclear.
Nick Bullock, a freshman in biomedical engineering, said that many first-year students begin drinking in college because of the parties they attend.
“Every party I’ve been to I’ve known almost nobody there,” Bullock said, explaining that the allure of meeting new people prompts the social drinking.
He said his friends drink more heavily in college than they did in high school, and pointed to the sense of freedom as a possible explanation.
“There’s something going on every weekend here — in high school it was only a party once a month,” Bullock said.
Substance abuse is also especially high in members of the Greek community and student athletes, according to Chris Austin, assistant director of Health Promotion, substance abuse prevention.
“One thing I really try to get across to students is that they really don’t drink as much as they think they do,” Austin said, pointing to 0-3 drinks per week for the average student. “Our perceptions drive our behavior.”
Health Promotion reports Campus Police receive one potential alcohol poisoning call each week during the regular school year.
“We are about on par, or just a little bit below on high-risk drinking rate to our peers,” he said. “ECU is not any worse than we are.”
Austin said successful Health Promotion campaigns were responsible for raising awareness dealing with the danger of high risk drinking.
Twenty-first birthdays are also an area of concern for the department, and Austin said he tries to remind students that alcohol is a toxin to the body.
“Having 17 shots in 30 minutes is not a great idea,” he said. “That, to me, is just very scary.”
Austin admitted that college-aged students seem to be targeted more than other age groups and said advertising, convenience store placements and bar specials may be contributing factors.
Betsy Styons, a senior in communication and member of the Greek community, said she can see a higher instance of binge drinking among first-year students due to a lack of experience.
“They’re more likely to use it irresponsibly because it’s their first year away from home,” she said.
Styons also refuted statistics that fraternities and sororities engage in more high-risk behaviors.
“A lot of people drink, and people recognize the Greek community for drinking because of notorious fraternity parties,” she said. “Outside groups use it just as much.”
Binge drinking may be a result of inexperience, she explained.
“I don’t know if I use alcohol less. I just don’t get as crazy as I used to,” Styons joked.
During college, many students find themselves with free time and the challenge of making new friends, she said, but it is important to be responsible when making decisions about how much to drink and remember that drinking and driving is never a good decision.