Taking it to the Extreme

 

 

 

When underage drinkers drink, the tendency is to binge drink. Whether they are looking to escape, to attract attention, to prove something to others, to feel better in their own skin, to live for today - they drink to the extreme. It's not about having one social drink for them, as the adult social drinker. Being social means getting loaded.

"I Knew Someone Who ...
would make herself throw up while drinking, so she could drink more. She would stick her finger down her throat, throw up, drink more. She didn't want to feel full but wanted to get the best buzz. How gross is that?!"

~ Anonymous

 

TRUE STORIES on the Dangers of Underage Drinking

This video explores why teenagers drink

and offers compelling reasons to wait or to stop drinking.  

THINK THINK THINK

 

 

In the heat of the moment, when drunk, almost anything may seem like a good idea. Drinking has a way of changing a person's perspective. The things you thought you would never do, suddenly become acceptable. Drinking impairs your judgement. Your inhibitions are gone and you become the life of the party - the funniest and coolest person in the room. Liquid courage enables you to approach people, flirt, and have sex.

Safe Sex is a familiar topic. It's all-the-live in the media and has become dinner conversation. Yet under the influence, the dangers are no longer on the forefront of your mind and the snap justifications begin:

"Cool, she says she's on the pill."
"I don't know anyone with HIV/AIDS."
"He looks clean to me."
"She says that she has never had an STD."
"I trust him." 
"I hate the feel of a condom."

THINK, THINK, THINK

before you drink and have sex.

Your life depends upon it.

Tragedy From a Night of Binge Drinking

 

"I knew this guy who…  

 

... decided one night to escape his so called problems by going to a club and drink. He binged on tequila, his friends tried to stop him but he just ignored them. This guy's friends tried to drive him home, but his ignorance said no. He got behind the wheel, before he knew it there where flashing lights all around a paramedic at his door. Flown to the hospital he was screaming what did I do, finally a doctor told him 'you killed a young girl.'      The guy would find out that the young girl had just turned 18 two days prior, graduated the highest ranking JROTC cadet from her school, and had a full scholarship to college. The guy would lose his arm, and face multiple charges to include homicide w/ a motor vehicle, homicide w/ a motor vehicle while impaired, DUI, manslaughter with a motor vehicle and many others.

 

Now when he looks in the mirror all he thinks about is how his decision to drink and drive took a beautiful life and caused so much pain to her family and friends.

 

That guy is me. I share this in the hopes that who read this will make better choices than I."

 

~ Anonymous
 

When "Not Yets" Become a Reality

 

For the underage drinker: You may think, "none of these things have happened to me and this information is so uncool." Perhaps you are not a statistic ... yet. But a time may come when the "not yets" come to be a reality in your life. Unfortunately, this has been true for plenty of people. Please consider all of the possibilities before you pick up that drink. Your life or the life of someone know may depend upon it.

 

For all Marylanders: The costs associated with underage drinking in Maryland in this 2010 report totaled $1.3 billion dollars, including medical costs, work lost costs, and pain and suffering costs. It's easy to turn a blind eye to these facts when you mistakenly think it's not directly impacting you. But the fact is, that you are affected by the underage drinking problem - one way or another.

 

(click on graphic for a larger view)

Please submit your "I Knew Someone Who ..." 

stories, poetry, art, music, videos

on the dangers of underage and/or binge drinking to:

 canyouaffordit@gmail.com.

 

We will gladly share your submission anonymously.
 

WHAT is WRONG with You?!

"I can't even tell you how many times people asked me,

 

"WHAT is WRONG with You?!"

 

I didn't think anything was wrong with me -

everyone else was the problem."

"I started drinking in middle school, my main source of alcohol coming from my parent's bar in the basement. My daring made me very popular with like-minded friends. My parents would ask me THE QUESTION and my reply was always that I didn't feel well.

In high school, I drank every day. I was able to buy booze at two liquor stores without being carded and I became a very good customer. I bought for myself and others - which made me even more popular. As my tolerance increased, I had to drink more to get that good buzzed feeling. Then I started having trouble in relationships. My friends started asking me THE QUESTION when I would drink too much and create drama. The solution at the time: I need new friends.

I didn't get into the best college because of my drinking, but I got in somewhere so all was good in my mind. Finally - I thought I was free from people asking THE QUESTION and I could drink as much as I wanted! I sought out people who drank like me and we drank every single day. Within a short period of time, people started asking THE QUESTION again. I was put on academic probation and I knew I had to get it together. I decided to drink only on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. This made for a long week.

After completing college, I got my first real job and was delighted with the party atmosphere at the office. We drank together almost every night and I thought all was well. But it wasn't long before they started asking THE QUESTION.

I started getting really depressed and thought about committing suicide. All of my relationships were either over or strained. I would try to stop drinking on my own, only to start up again and drink to obliteration.

Within six months of starting my job, THE QUESTION was asked by my boss and the ultimatum came down: "stop drinking or you're fired." That saved my life and changed my life.

I entered a 28 day treatment program and came to believe that I was an alcoholic and that my life was unmanageable. Getting sober wasn't easy, but it has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. I am part of a 12 Step Program ... and no one has asked me, "WHAT is WRONG with You?!" for a long time."

~ Anonymous

To submit your story, poetry, art, music, or video

on how underage and binge drinking has negatively impacted

your life or the life of someone you know,

please email: canyouaffordit@gmail.com.

 

We respect the anonymity of all.

 

The Numbers Don't Lie

 

• 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries.
• More than 690,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking annually  .     
• More than 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape annually.      
• 599,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 receive unintentional injuries while under the influence of alcohol.      
• About 25 percent of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall.
• More than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem and between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use.

 

 

 

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

(National Institutes of Health)

To share your "I Knew Someone Who ..." story, poetry, art, video, or music 
please email: canyouaffordit@gmail.com.
Submissions will remain anonymous.
 

"The Empty Chair" at CSM

Accident or Suicide? 

 
Robert has just died of an overdose. The atmosphere in the group at the counseling center is tense and uneasy for the teenagers recovering from substance abuse. Finally, each young person speaks about his or her memory of Robert.                    

The dramatic monologues tell us a great deal about each speaker and the terrors of drug abuse. Although Robert remains something of a mystery, his impact on the others is undeniable.

Friday, January 25, 2013 (Prince Frederick Campus) at 8 p.m.

Thursday, January 31, 2013 (Leonardtown Campus) at 8 p.m.

Friday, February 1, 2013 (Leonardtown Campus) at 8 p.m.

Saturday, February 2, 2013 (Leonardtown Campus) at 8 p.m.

Thursday, February 7, 2013 (La Plata Campus) at 8 p.m.

Friday, February 8, 2013 (La Plata Campus) at 8 p.m.

Saturday, February 9, 2013 (La Plata Campus) at 8 p.m.

 

For more information about this
Cause Theatre/Social Issues

theatrical performance at CSM,

please click here.

Awareness, Prevention, and Control

"When I was in high school, I went to a party where everyone was playing beer pong, doing shots, and stuff. We all ended up crashing there. One of the guys forced himself on a girl. The girl's screams woke everyone up and a fight broke out. I don't know where that guy is now and I don't want to know. I felt really bad for the girl. What if that had been my sister?"

~ Anonymous, SMC

It has been said that nothing good happens after midnight when excessive drinking is involved. Everyone has an experience about how underage and/or binge drinking brought about disastrous results - whether to themselves, someone they know personally, or to someone they heard about. What can begin as a good time, can become a life-altering experience.

 

The Community Alcohol Coalition in St. Mary's County, Maryland consists of a team of people committed to bringing the dangerous realities of underage and binge drinking to light. Our approach is direct for three reasons:

- to create awareness of the many dangers and consequences -

death, legal, financial, emotional, physical  

 

- to share experiences, information, and statistics - in hopes of prevention

 

- to offer solutions to those currently suffering from

problems with alcohol/alcoholism

and to families, friends, and businesses

 

If you have a story, poem, artwork, music, or video to share, please email submissions to: canyouaffordit@gmail.com.

 

"3,000,000 Young People Need Help with Alcohol Problems"

 

The costs of problem drinking/alcoholism are high

 

The George Washington University Medical Center has and excellent website entitled, "Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems." Not only does it offer an Alcohol Cost Calculator for businesses,  but also an Alcohol Cost Calculation for Kids.

Did You Know ...

 

Children between the ages of 15 and 20 who have an alcohol use disorder are more likely than their peers to have personal and mental health problems as well as find themselves in trouble at home and in their community? 

Problems for Our Kids:

Source: National Comorbidity Survey
	5 times more likely to attempt suicide.
	4.5 times more likely to get into a serious fight.
	3.5 times more likely to carry a weapon.
	3 times more likely to be hospitalized with a mental health problem.
	3 times more likely to have a conduct disorder.
	1.5 times more likely to get into an accident, injure, or poison themselves.
	Almost twice as likely to have multiple sexual partners.

VIDEO: How Did I Get Here?

 

A powerful video about the consequences of binge drinking

A Harsh Reality

Have you ever been to a party where the chugging games became the focus? The group decides to get as hammered as possible, as quickly as possible? At the time it's exhilarating ... "everyone is doing it" ... "it's all in fun" ... "this party rules!"  

 

This isn't a lecture series - we promise. We just want you to have all of the information. It could save your life or the life of someone you know.

"Binge drinkers are 39% more likely to suffer a stroke

than those who never binge drink."

- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)

"I Knew Someone Who ...
... had a son who died at college after a night of binge drinking. The parents sent their son off to a great college with much hope for his future. This bright college freshman, who had been shy in high school, was all about his new-found freedom. Even though his father, a recovering alcoholic, had cautioned him about the pressure to party in college, the unthinkable happened. The worst nightmare a parent can experience came to be a reality. The parents received the call that no parent should ever receive. Their son was dead. They learned that the previous night, their son attended a party where guzzling a grain alcohol mix was the goal. This apparently went on for some time. The next morning, the son's roommate discovered his body on their dorm room floor. This continues to be a heartbreaking loss for this young man's family."

~ Anonymous

Welcome to "I Knew Someone Who ..."

 

Many of us have known someone who experienced some pretty tough consequences as a direct result of underage or binge drinking. Whether you are in middle school, high school, college, grad school, the military, the work force, or are a parent, we are hoping for your participation in the "I Knew Someone Who ..." of the "Can You Afford It?" campaign.      

Our intention for launching this
social media community is two-fold:

 

1. to offer important information and current research about the potential risks associated 
with underage and binge drinking

 

2. to invite you to share through stories,
poetry, artwork, music, and videos
how underage and binge drinking 
have negatively impacted you
or someone you know

You may post directly to our Facebook Fan Page or tweet on Twitter. Because we respect your privacy, we also welcome you to email your submissions anonymously to: canyouaffordit@gmail.com.

Thank You!

~ Community Alcohol Coalition in St. Mary's County, Maryland