Underage Drinking Problem

[SycamoreStateofMind]

http://tribstar.com/latest/x7218818...88-on-231-Charges-this-Weekend-in-Bloomington

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana State Excise Police officers arrested 188 people on 231 charges while patrolling around Indiana University – Bloomington this weekend.

On Thursday, excise officers arrested 18 people on 23 charges, including nine for illegal possession or consumption of alcohol, four for possession of false ID and two for furnishing alcohol to a minor.

On Friday, excise police officers arrested 50 people on 67 charges, including 40 for illegal possession of consumption of alcohol, five for furnishing alcohol to a minor, three for possession of false ID, two for public intoxication, one for resisting arrest and 15 other charges.

On Saturday, excise police officers arrested 110 people on 129 charges during I.U.’s game against Ball State. Officers arrested 106 minors for illegal consumption or possession of alcohol – including eight juveniles less than 18 years old (youngest arrested was 15 years old). Seven minors with high breath-alcohol concentrations were arrested for public intoxication. Three minors were cited for possession of false ID, one juvenile was cited for possession of tobacco and two adults were charged with furnishing alcohol to a minor. Excise officers also arrested two adults on drug-related charges, including one man who was found with nine marijuana cigarettes. Two other adults were arrested for resisting law enforcement. Six other people were cited for a variety of charges.

Read more here: http://tribstar.com/latest/x7218818...88-on-231-Charges-this-Weekend-in-Bloomington

 

[Eleven]

On Saturday, excise police officers arrested 110 people on 129 charges during I.U.’s game against Ball State. Officers arrested 106 minors for illegal consumption or possession of alcohol – including eight juveniles less than 18 years old (youngest arrested was 15 years old). Seven minors with high breath-alcohol concentrations were arrested for public intoxication. Three minors were cited for possession of false ID, one juvenile was cited for possession of tobacco and two adults were charged with furnishing alcohol to a minor. Excise officers also arrested two adults on drug-related charges, including one man who was found with nine marijuana cigarettes. Two other adults were arrested for resisting law enforcement. Six other people were cited for a variety of charges.

Yesterday’s tailgating arrests are up from 34 minors arrested during IU’s first home football game against Indiana State on Sept. 1. Never before have excise officers arrested 110 people on 129 charges during tailgating at any Indiana college or university.

Excise officers working after the game arrested an additional 10 people on 12 charges, including eight minors for illegal possession or consumption of alcohol, two for possession of false ID and one adult for furnishing alcohol to a minor.

Like I said... when I was there for the ISU vs IU game I was appalled that there were some "adults" that were allowing high school kids to drink... and especially allowed them to drink enough to pass-out. If I found out that a "friend" allowed my child to drink around them... I would be PISSED!

 

[BankShot]

Compare these #'s to your "traditional" powerhouse football institutions in America...perhaps it's THIS very cultural mentality in Bloomington that's partly responsible for their dismal football record since '67? Sometimes you gotta let the "animal" out of the animal. In IU's case, they've never given the "animal" an opportunity to develop.

 

[Sackalot]

Not to get all philosophical, but when one says underage drinking problem...perhaps the problem is the concept of underage drinking in the first place. If kids learned to drink responsibly in the first place, you wouldn't have near the problem. If you can vote, you should be able to enjoy a darn beer! If you can go off to war and die for our country at 18, you should be able to drink a beer anywhere you want to!

I don't need research to tell you this one important fact about college and drinking. I worked with college aged students as a professional for 8 years, I have worked with a fraternity for over 15 years now....kids drink and drink too much because their parents never taught them about alcohol and they have no reference point to understand when too much is too much. They never learn about alcohol at all (which experience is the best teacher). So when they get to college and have no parental supervision what do they do? They go nuts and get plastered. Doesn't matter if they are 18 or 20, if they are under 21 they drink when they can and as much as they can. Underage drinking is not the problem. A lack of experience and an understanding of the dangers and stupidity that can come from alcohol is the problem. Coupled those serious problems with a outdated prohibition against 18 year olds drinking and you have all the set up for disaster. This is why Dr. Bradley and over 250 other college presidents signed a petition to Congress to change the drinking age.

And, chastise me now...my kids will learn about alcohol from a young age. They will be invited to have a drink with me, they will be invited to learn under supervision what alcohol can do to their bodies, they will learn that drinking responsibly is great. They will also learn that drinking too much is not only stupid but it can ruin you life. Just like my father did to me, I had already learned all about alcohol before I ever set foot on the ISU campus...so it wasn't a big deal to me when I got there and when I went to visit my friends at IU or Purdue.

 

[BankShot]

Excellent point, Sack! Well stated...

 

[4Q_iu]

...I don't need research to tell you this one important fact about college and drinking. I worked with college aged students as a professional for 8 years, I have worked with a fraternity for over 15 years now....kids drink and drink too much because their parents never taught them about alcohol and they have no reference point to understand when too much is too much. They never learn about alcohol at all (which experience is the best teacher). So when they get to college and have no parental supervision what do they do? They go nuts and get plastered. Doesn't matter if they are 18 or 20, if they are under 21 they drink when they can and as much as they can. Underage drinking is not the problem. A lack of experience and an understanding of the dangers and stupidity that can come from alcohol is the problem. Coupled those serious problems with a outdated prohibition against 18 year olds drinking and you have all the set up for disaster. This is why Dr. Bradley and over 250 other college presidents signed a petition to Congress to change the drinking age...

In general I agree with your points, but at what point do kids learn responsibility? I've met a large number of functioning alcoholics past the age of 18-21.
I know a lot of 20- and 30-somethings who can't / don't handle drinking responsibly.

 

[Sackalot]

In general I agree with your points, but at what point do kids learn responsibility? I've met a large number of functioning alcoholics past the age of 18-21.
I know a lot of 20- and 30-somethings who can't / don't handle drinking responsibly.

I know 17 year olds that are far better drivers than thousands of 30-40 year olds...that isn't a fair argument. Age is not a determining factor in responsibility(well, it is but...we are talking about legal adults not 12 year olds). IMHO, drinking is a big deal to college students because it is taboo. The laws create a form of a black market for alcohol. I would be lying if I told you that I didn't buy alcohol for fellow classmates at ISU who were under 21 and kept the extra money for myself. I can't tell you how many cases of beer that a kid under 21 paid $20 for when it was only $13 to buy the beer

The problem is the belief that alcohol is the culprit. I look at this just like gun laws...guns are not the problem, people are the problem. If a young man (or women) learns how to use a gun, to respect a gun their will most likely not be a problem with that young person in terms of guns. This is because they learned how to use it, they learned what it is capable of and they know the dangers. Same thing with alcohol. If you don't experience it (firing a gun on a gun range for example and comparison) you just don't know. Here is another way to look at it. Are you going to give a 21 year old a loaded gun, who has never held a gun in their life and say to them, "shoot!" Of course not! Why do the same thing with alcohol. It is always better to let them experience it under supervision. You teach a person how to use a car, how to use a gun, why not teach them how to drink? It won't work for everyone...of course it won't! But it will work for the majority

 

[4Q_iu]

I know 17 year olds that are far better drivers than thousands of 30-40 year olds...that isn't a fair argument. Age is not a determining factor in responsibility(well, it is but...we are talking about legal adults not 12 year olds). IMHO, drinking is a big deal to college students because it is taboo. The laws create a form of a black market for alcohol. I would be lying if I told you that I didn't buy alcohol for fellow classmates at ISU who were under 21 and kept the extra money for myself. I can't tell you how many cases of beer that a kid under 21 paid $20 for when it was only $13 to buy the beer

Drinking is a big deal to ANYONE under the age of 21 b/c it's taboo; not just college kids.

I agree; if we had NEVER implemented a drinking age post-Prohibition, we wouldn't have nearly as many problems, although Europe certainly has problems with far more lax laws WRT alcohol.