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Written by -- Editor Dave Paulson
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Thursday, 28 August 2008 |
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LOWER MAINLAND
And at nearly every one of them, alcohol will be plentiful.
Drinking is almost a rite of post-secondary life. In moderation, drinking usually brings on nothing more harmful than a slight hangover. However, a study by the Centre for Addictions Research of B.C. at the University of Victoria found more than half of the booze consumed in B.C. is done so during bouts of binge drinking, which puts the drinker's health and safety at risk.
The death last week in Burnaby of a 20-year-old man who passed out after taking part in a drinking bet is a tragic reminder of what can happen when people drink too much.
The man, who moved to the Lower Mainland from northern B.C. six months ago, reportedly drank a 750-ml bottle of whisky and 10 bottles of beer last Friday on a bet with a friend. He passed out and was found dead the next morning, likely a result of acute alcohol poisoning. police said.
The man wasn't a student, but his death should be sobering news to young people heading back to school.
As campus life revs up each September, so does binge drinking, according to police.
It's normal for young people, many of whom are living away from their parents for the first time, to become involved in campus social life where alcohol is never far away.
But people in their age group are most at risk of binge drinking, according to UVic sociologist Mickael Jansson, whose research found that binge drinking is most common among 18- to 21-year-olds.
This can be no comfort to parents of young people heading to universities, colleges and even high schools.
At this stage, parents might feel helpless as they hope the values they instilled and the warnings they drilled in their children pay off.
As teens and young adults, they're making serious choices that can be life-altering. We can only trust they will make more right ones than wrong.
-- Editor Dave Paulson
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 28 August 2008 )
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