"Water, Water Everywhere...

...nor any drop to drink." This is the line from the 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' written by Samuel Taylor Coolridge. Drinking is life-blood. Each of us know when we are thirsty and how to combat that. It is almost an involuntary reaction, but we still do have some control over this reaction, initially.

For some time now I have been wrestling with the issue of alcohol in our society. Particularly working on a college campus and seeing first hand the impact alcohol, or better, the abuse of alcohol, can have on a person, family, community or institution. It is a touchy subject that many turn a blind eye and deaf ear to. I don't know how many times I've heard from people, college administrators included, "Drinking is what you do in college, they will get over it." I tend to disagree.

As I said, I have been wrestling with the issue of alcohol and consumption for some time. This primarily began when our society and government began to lash out at the tobacco industry. I was amazed to see how quickly negative publicity could impact a business sector. The creation of TheTruth.com only peaked my interest even more. What I find amazingly interesting is the fact that big tobacco business is actually running negative, or at best, neutral adds against itself! Talk about bad for business. And all of this over the issue of tobacco and how addicting it can be.

Don't get me wrong, tobacco, or the abuse or prolonged use of it, can and will kill. However, why aren't these same monies, efforts, adds, etc. focused on what I deem an equally, if not more lethal, and a more societal damaging product? How many families in this country are broken up by tobacco? How many young women are victimized by tobacco? How many youth die because of tobacco? The answer to all these questions are minimal when compared to alcohol, but nobody is talking about it! Now before you stop reading, thinking I am some far right conservative, look at some numbers:

The annual statistics speak for themselves.
*1,700: The number of college students who die every year from unintentional alcohol-related injured, including car accidents.
*599,000: The number who are injured while under alcohol's influence.
*696,000: Assaulted by another student who's been drinking.
*97,000: Sexually assaulted by a student who's been drinking.

And these are just numbers associated with traditional 18-24 year old college students! (The photo btw is a 'photo of the week' from the naval safety center against drunk driving. A weekly depiction of alcohol related wrecks!)

Where are the watch dog groups and government with this issue? MADD can only reach so far. We all can see how alcohol companies direct their advertising toward college students, whom by the way 55-60 or so percent are under the legal drinking age of 21! From the above numbers, over 1 MILLION college students are impacted negatively by the affects alcohol has on people. Again, we are talking about a segment of our society covering only 7 years. What about the 30's and 40's where families are being split up, kids are being abused, and where drinking and driving are just as prevalent. These people obviously didn't "Grow out of it". What about the retirement years where depression sets in and abuse is more likely than not even seen?

Alcohol has become an epidemic in our country and nobody is talking about it! Sure we get the "Be Responsible" talking heads, but the fact that it is a drug and is addictive overrides simple responsibility. Years ago our founders realized this issue and Prohibition was put in the U.S. Constitution. Obviously that didn't work and it was repealed. That in itself shows how powerful alcohol is. Changing the constitution isn't easy. Three major changes as it relates to society as a whole that the constitution addressed through amendments are Slavery, Women's Rights, and Prohibition. Which one of these isn't like the other? Only one is a preference, yet it passed through all the hoops to become a Constitutional Amendment!

One of these days, some senator's/president's/governor's/alcohol company owners's son our daughter will become one of the above statistics. At that point, I predict the societal backlash will be just as strong and swift as that towards tobacco because when you step back and look at the numbers, tobacco has as much impact on society as the high school football state champion does to the NFL. Alcohol on the other hand impacts society the way the NFL draft impacts the NFL. The next generation is coming into contact with a drug that could easily end careers, or worse. College isn't a time for partying, it is a time for personal exploration and education...alcohol shouldn't have any part in that. I do though believe that part of the education process is coming into contact with situations that will present themselves after graduation, and for that, then the current abuse of alcohol can be a good educational tool. But at what expense?

The line from the poem at the beginning was written about a sailor stranded in the middle of the ocean, not able to consume the water. Sometimes, I wonder is this is the same depiction many of our students are confronted with and being surrounded, yield to the temptation, thus putting them on a negative path. Over 1 Million of them were on the path last year, and the scary thing is that number is growing yearly!