Alcohol and Parents
As a parent of a UW-Eau Claire student, you still have an influence on your young adult and the choices he or she will make about alcohol. By continuing to help them choose and maintain a healthy lifestyle, you will foster their personal development, expand their college education and make a positive difference in their present and future life. Here are a few topics that may be useful for you:
Millennial students and their families
Parents of freshman – staying
involved
Conversation tips
Motivational essay
Millennial students and their families
return to topThe millennial generation is defined as the group of adolescents who are currently in high school or entering college. It has been noted that these students bring with them unique characteristics which demand that reexamine and redefine student development theory and practice.
Millennial students tend to be semi-autonomous, highly focused, active and engaged “overachievers” who are experiencing high levels of stress. They are maintaining close relationships with their parents and tend to demand a secure, regulated environment.
Millennial parents are highly involved in their students’ lives and education, and tend to get involved with “managing” the college experience of their sons and daughters, in everything from the process of selecting a college to negotiating financial aid, housing, and services.
While some experts wonder if college will continue to be the final threshold to adulthood, the good news is that students can benefit from their parents’ support and guidance in making good choices.
Parents of freshman – staying involved
return to topThe first six weeks of a freshman year pose the highest risk period of a student’s career. Many freshman initiate heavy drinking during this time mostly because they have the mistaken perception that the college experience is primarily about alcohol use. They also have more free time and independence than ever before.
Early excessive alcohol consumption has the possibility to interfere with successful adaptation to campus life. One-third of first-year students do not enroll their second year. Excessive alcohol use may also have deadly consequences. Click here to read the story about Sam Spady.
Pay special attention to your son or daughter’s experiences, listen attentively and offer support whenever you talk to them. Engage your son or daughter in conversations on what kind of college experience they want and what some strategies are to get there. Students say that they have heard the alcohol message. By helping them be successful in all areas of their life you can indirectly affect their alcohol use.
Conversation tips
return to top- Call your son or daughter frequently during the first 6 weeks of college.
- Recognize your own experiences, attitudes and behaviors towards high risk drinking- what kind of messages are you giving your young adult?
- Inquire about their roommates, the roommates' behavior, and how they settle disagreements or deal with disruptive behavior.
- Make sure that your son or daughter understands the penalties for underage drinking, public drunkenness, using a fake ID, driving under the influence, assault, and other alcohol-related offenses. Ask the college/university to keep you informed of infractions of school alcohol policies.
- Make certain that they understand how alcohol use can lead to date rape, violence, and academic failure.
Helping your college student face an alcohol-related crisis
return to topA majority of college and university presidents have identified alcohol abuse as one of the greatest problems facing campus life. Signs of possible alcohol abuse include:
- Trouble with campus or community authorities, violations in housing
- Negative consequences from high risking drinking (hangover, assaults, sexual assault, “drunk sex”, drinking and driving)
- Lower grades (be aware that students can often maintain a good GPA even though they are engaging in high risk drinking)
- Never available or reluctant to talk with you
- Unwilling to talk about activities with friends
- Serious mood changes, depression or anxiety (it is not uncommon for individuals to self-medicate mental health issues)
We encourage parents to continue to educate themselves and utilize available resources on and off campus. If you believe your son or daughter is having a problem with alcohol, help them find appropriate treatment.
- Call and/or visit Counseling Services. Counseling Services offer voluntary screenings and assessments, intervention, referral, and aftercare support at no-cost to students. It also offers certain services for a fee including court-referred screenings and assessments and a ten-hour moderation skills class. These services are also available off-campus.
- Contact the Associate Dean of Students, either in person or by email, about your interest in the welfare of your son or daughter and that you want to be actively involved in his or her recovery despite the geographic separation.
- If your son or daughter is concerned about his or her alcohol consumption, or that of a friend, have them check out www.alcoholscreening.org for information about alcohol abuse. This site is suitable for adults also and contains helpful health information for people of all ages.
- Visit your son or daughter and ask to meet their friends. Attend Orientation, Parents' Weekend and other campus events open to parents.
- Continue to stay actively involved in the life of your son or daughter. Even though they may be away at college, they continue to be an extension of your family and its values.
Motivational essay
return to topIn his May 5, 2005, address to the Maine Phi Beta Kappa Association, Malcolm Gauld, author of the book The Biggest Job We’ll Ever Have (Scribner, 2001), says this about parenting: “it’s hard, it’s doable, and it’s never too late.”
