Home

Commentary

Advice

Tips

Information

Documents

Links

Back to NFIA

Featured Question

Q: Our daughter is going off to college in the fall. She's a great kid - a good student who doesn't drink or use drugs. I'm worried about all the drinking on college campuses but my husband thinks my worries are groundless because she doesn't drink. Am I just a nervous mother?

A: First, congratulations on raising a drug-free kid! She sounds terrific and you'll both miss her when she goes away to school. Sadly, young men and women who do not drink can still be affected by other students who drink heavily. A recent survey showed that about two-thirds of students are affected by binge drinking by other students.*

Your daughter can stay safe and healthy if she's aware of the dangers. Counsel her to travel the campus in groups especially at night. Be sure she knows to keep her door locked at all times. She should be sure one or more of her friends knows her class schedule and she should share her friends' names and numbers with you. She should be sure that her roommate or a good friend knows her social plans. All this is common sense and she's already proven that she has lots of that! 

* Results of the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study, Journal of American College Health, Vol. 47, September 1998.