Alcohol is Suspected to be Cause of Clemson Student Death

Monday evening counselors are on hand for the death of a Clemson student, age 19. The student was found Saturday night "heavily intoxicated" as reported by the Sheriff's office. This is not the first death that alcohol is suspected to be the cause of death at the University. In 2007 a student died from attending a fraternity party.

However, because of these incidents and others the university had increased in alcohol awareness programs. The main group playing a role is Empower Clemson, which a educational program for the university students. Empower Clemson is responsible for having incoming freshmen complete an required alcohol survey. Even better they must also attend an awareness program taught by fellow students.

To remind students of consequence, especially the legal ones, the University is working closely with law enforcement. They currently have a "party registration," in which students can register their parties and are to have two "sober" monitors at the event. Then the police give them two "warnings" before showing up if complaints come in.

As far as the student's death from this weekend, we are still waiting on the toxicology results. For more information regarding this story please visit this link.

Alcohol and substance abuse, is a huge matter on several college campus, that is not taken light. Many students go into college believing everyone drinks, however that is far from the truth. However, college students do have more cases that the general population.

One thing, from the Empower Clemson, that could be used on all campuses is the peer group alcohol awareness programs. Students are more likely to listen when learning from their peers, however some worry about weather not knowledge is accurate. I am sure the students have to go through some form of training and  could offer real life experiences.

Being informed is a very important step in helping to prevent substance abuse problems. Don't be scared to ask for help or knowledge.

Red Ribbon Week (in Lexington, South Carolina)

This week is national Red Ribbon Week, a week dedicated to teach students not to use drugs. Pleasant Hill Elementary made learning to say no to drugs fun. Each day of the week students got to dress up in fun way that related to preventing the use of drugs.  

"Monday was polka dots - to remind them to spot good choices. Tuesday, Glasses Day, to keep a look out for leaders. Wednesday, Crazy Sock Day, a reminder to sock it to drugs... On Thursday, the kids will wear red  to represent that they're strong in will power. On Friday, they all get to wear their favorite team jersey to "team up" against drugs."

The article from a local Lexington new station states how this week helps students to reach the career goals in the long run. By informing the students at a young age they hope help the kids make better decisions, by saying no drugs. 

However, the article claims that the first time that individuals try it, referring to drugs, is around the age of 11 or 12 or even younger. Is this a flawed statistic? Where has this data come from? Who was the sample?  It is important when reading articles about substances to understand who and why the statistics are stated. It is possible that this claim was made to make the prevention of drug use among youth seem like a bigger problem than it really is. By making it seem like a bigger problem it helps to justify the reason our tax money goes to support this week long celebration. It also gives parents and the community a sense of hope for the future of our kids. 

Red Ribbon Week as a whole is a great week to education the younger generation on the harms and consequences of drugs. The earlier we inform the more hope we have for the future. Take the time out of you day to have a discussion with your kids, little cousins, brother or sisters, because substance abuse effects everyone around the person who is abusing. Remember that you don't have to wait until Red Ribbon Week 2012 to talk about this issue

For more information on the Lexington county school Red Ribbon celebrations visit this link.