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Nov. 20, 2009
Rabbi David Aaron: How to make every second of your life come first
Caroline B. Glick: Whither American Jewry
Nov. 19, 2009
Binyamin L. Jolkovsky: Please Listen to this Godcast (5 minutes)
Jonathan Tobin: ADL Crosses the Line with Report Bashing Obama Critics
Nov. 18, 2009
Rabbi Yonason Goldson: What Judaism has to say about the secret of the Mona Lisa's smile
JWisdom.com: The (Jewish) Dating Game with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (8 minutes)
Nov. 17, 2009
Steven Emerson: How Does the 4th Amendment Impact Terror Finance Investigations?
JWisdom.com: If Frank Sinatra married Edith Piaf with Rabbi Y.Y. Rubinstein (2 minutes) Life lessons from what would be regarded as the most inappropriate lyrics ever sung
Nov. 16, 2009
The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : When borrowing is stealing
JWisdom.com: Deconstructing faith with Rabbi Warren Goldstein (9 minutes)
Nov. 13, 2009
JWisdom.com Sarah's subjective reality with Rabbi Sroy Levitansky ( 6 minutes)
Caroline B. Glick: Obama's failure, Netanyahu's opportunity
Nov. 12, 2009
The Kosher Gourmet By Marialisa Calta : A sweet sweet potato treat
JWisdom.com Does God get tired? with Rabbi Harvey Belovski ( 5 minutes)
Nov. 11, 2009
Rabbi Avi Shafran: Jews and money: When anti-Semitism isn't
JWisdom.com Marriages are not made in Heaven with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (VERY fast 15 minutes)
Nov. 10, 2009
Michael Doyle: Author of book exposing CAIR ordered to remove supporting documents from Web
JWisdom.com If the creation so loudly shouts the existence of the Creator, why aren't more people believers? with Rabbi Naftali Brawer (9 minutes)
Nov. 9, 2009
Mark Steyn: Shooter exposes hole in U.S. terror strategy
JWisdom.com It's never too late to have a happy childhood with Sarah Chana Radcliffe (5 minutes)
Nov. 6, 2009
Rabbi Berel Wein: Choosing to hear
JWisdom.com Zero to 1/60th: How to Empower An Hour with Gavriel Aryeh Sande (7 minutes)
Caroline B. Glick The mullahs' big week
Suzanne Fields A Fallen Wall for Fallen Man
Nov. 5, 2009
The Kosher Gourmet: Three scrumptious -- but simple -- butternut squash dishes
JWisdom.com Hidden Hints: Unlocking Faith & Prayer with Rabbi Jay Yaacov Schwartz (10 minutes)
Nov. 4, 2009
Tom Hamburger and Kim Geiger: Should prayers be covered?
JWisdom.com When God played peacemaker With Rabbi Sroy Levitansky (5 minutes)
Nov. 3, 2009
Martin Peretz: Beware, Barack. Beware, Rahm. Beware, Axelrod
JWisdom.com Are you are closet idolater? With Sara Yoheved Rigler (10 minutes)
Nov. 2, 2009
Paul Greenberg: The Holocaust is now on Facebook
JWisdom.com Abraham's Strange Change With Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer (5 minutes)
Oct. 29, 2003
Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review Sept. 7, 2007 / 24 Elul, 5767

News flash: Some students want no part of binge drinking

By Lori Borgman

Lori Borgman
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Hey there, college freshman. Could I have a minute of your time? This is your mother speaking. There's something you need to know as you settle in and acclimate to college life: Not everybody is doing it — drinking to get drunk.


You've probably already seen the pamphlets, posters in the hall, and colorful flyers on the tables in the dining hall on responsible drinking. You may even be on a campus that conducts a "social norm" campaign. They try to use peer pressure to influence drinking by giving away Frisbees and freebies with messages like "30 percent of all students drink less than 3 drinks at a time." Sometimes when students know their peers drink less than they think they do, they're more inclined to drink less as well.


That's fine, but if you're under 21, it's still illegal. So really, the approach is a little bit like targeting known bank robbers with free T-shirts that say "Half of all thieves knock over less than three banks a month." Whatever floats your boat. Or brewery.


You'll also hear a lot about binge drinking. Binge drinking is downing five or more drinks in a row if you're male and four or more if you're female. When a Delaware college student was told that definition, he said, "That's ridiculous. That's like a Tuesday night."


If you were a binge drinker in high school you're likely to be a binge drinker in college. A lot of freshmen do it, because, well, they can. The thing is, you get so much more than drunk.


An on-going Harvard School of Public Health study has determined that binge drinkers are also more likely to be hurt or injured, fall from a height that requires medical treatment, cause an injury or burn to someone else that requires medical treatment, and cause injury in an automobile crash.


More fun than finals, right?


The same study also found that three out of four rapes on campus occurred when the victims were intoxicated.


Oh yes, if you see a binge drinker pass out after drinking, it's a good idea to call 911. When you're that drunk your gag reflex can shut down and you run the risk of choking on your own vomit.


Binge drinking is the easy way to fit in. It allows you to instantly be part of a social group and relieves you of the burden of possessing conversational skills.


Here's what you're not going to hear about drinking: The Harvard study found the number of binge drinkers has risen, but so has the number of students abstaining. They're just not going there. They're not parched freaks and geeks, they're just not going there.


This increase in students not drinking has been noted among Hispanics, Native Americans, students who live in residence halls, among students attending schools located in the Northeast in rural areas, small towns and, almost unbelievably, even in fraternity and sorority houses.


Why doesn't the non-drinking news get the press? Same reason the Boy Scout helping the old lady across the street doesn't get the press. Too tame. Not enough hysteria.


Why do I care if some kid wants to be binge drink? Because I've seen how life can change on a dime. I've been to the funerals.


Yes, a lot of under age students are tossing them back, but a lot of students aren't. Now I said it. I won't mention it again; I'm not going to nag. Just one more thing. Eat your vegetables. They can help ward off that freshman 15.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

JWR contributor Lori Borgman is the author of , most recently, "Pass the Faith, Please" (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.) and I Was a Better Mother Before I Had Kids To comment, please click here. To visit her website click here.

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© 2007, Lori Borgman

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