The College Years

Prevention & Personal Experience
College Years
by Brianne Mahoney

-Entering college can be a new and exciting time in a young adults life and they will be faced with many new challenges. One of these challenges is how to say no to drugs and alcohol. In many cases this will be their first time out on their own without their parents to answer to. This is why a drug and alcohol class should be given to incoming freshman to prevent them from making risky decisions.

In my own personal experience I was caught underage drinking several times in my first two years of college. My freshman year I was caught once in the dorm rooms with my friends playing beer pong which only resulted in me having to go talk to the Dean and receiving a "warning." The second time I was caught was on my birthday my sophomore year in which my friends and I were drinking in a dorm room celebrating. This time the Dean sent my friends and I to an alcohol abuse class. The last time I was caught in the dorms was a Thursday night when my friends and I were drinking boxed wine before going out to a party. This resulted in a $500/per person, another alcohol abuse class, being put on social probation, and probation from our sorority.

If I could give advice to any incoming college freshman I would tell them to be smart and try to stay away from alcohol as much as possible. It is unrealistic to say never drink in college, but it has serious consequences. I lost a whole semester in my sorority, the sorority that I was Vice President of. I set a bad example for all of my sisters that looked up to me and most of all I let myself and family down. Underage drinking can have serious consequences and I wish I was informed of them before I entered college.