Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Friends helping friends when drinking

As today's Chronicle reports, some colleges are focusing on intervention rather than stopping drinking when it comes to alcohol use.  The students are the ones who are looking out for each other, monitoring their friends and intervening when necessary. For example, a young man at a frat party might see an inebriated young woman about to go upstairs with a brother, but rather than watch them, he steps in to make sure that both parties are well aware what they are doing (but quite honestly, if she's that drunk, I don't think she really can make a well-informed decision).

The story focuses on Union College in upstate New York, but the "bystander intervention" approach is being used on many campuses.  Even President Obama has launched the "It's On Us" initiative, a program that asks bystanders to intervene if they see someone in a risky situation.  It's certainly a good start, and it seems to be working on Union's campus.

To read the entire story, go to http://bit.ly/1FMwwro, and to see how four other colleges are handling risky behaviors, you can check it out at http://bit.ly/1HZvV9K

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