For you and many other South Carolina residents, the beginning of this school year has been an exciting and busy time. Life in college is different from life at home as a high school student. You are treated as an adult now, and you can take part in adult activities that may have been frowned upon when you lived at home – particularly social drinking. While our team at the Parham Law Firm, LLC, believe you should be able to have fun with your friends, we feel it is important to warn you about the risks you face when alcohol is involved.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, about 60 percent of college students between the ages of 18 and 22 had alcohol at least once in the past month. Out of these, around two out of every three binge drank – or drank to excess. You should know that college drinking is not without consequences. Each year there are close to 1,825 student fatalities resulting from alcohol-related injuries, most notably from drunk driving. Thousands more are victims of physical or sexual assault stemming from students who are intoxicated.
So what does this mean for you, as a new student? As you are probably aware, it is important to make smart decisions with alcohol, especially when you know there are additional consequences for underage drinking, alcohol-related violence and extreme DUI. More on the topic of drunk driving, including how to defend yourself against drunk driving charges, is explained on our site.