Due to the growing problem of alcohol abuse among college students, Florida A&M University has chosen to start an Alcoholics Anonymous Group, beginning in April.
Douglas-Khan Stancil, one of the newer counselors at FAMU’s Sunshine Manor said he has already counseled a few students who have alcohol problems.
“Some of the students that drink are just starting out their alcohol career and they do not know the dangers of alcohol,” Stancil said.
Part of the reason that college students drink is to fit in with their friends and deal with coping with stress.
“After a while students will need alcohol in their body in order for them to function,” Stancil said.
If students’ alcohol problems are caught at an early stage, the counseling center can help students with their problems before they begin to consume alcohol on regular bases and become an alcoholic.
“When students come to the counseling center we can help them evaluate their issues that are cause the problems,” Stancil said.
Florida State University student Whitney Martin, 23, a senior business management student from Jacksonville said she only drinks when she is in a social setting.
“The environment of the club will determine how much alcohol I will drink,” Martin said. However, there was never time that Martin went to the club and passed up a drink.
Martin claimed that drinking does not affect her schoolwork or her performance on the job because she does not drink or go out often.
“I go to the club about twice a month and I sometimes drink when I am spending time with my friends,” Martin said. But drinking alone is something that Martin claims that she will never do because “that is a sign of an alcoholic.”
Thomas Lynch, 22, a senior public relations student from Chicago said he is a full time student that works 20 hours a week, and he has a workload that must be completed everyday.
The stress of completing the week tends to push Lynch towards alcohol.
“I consume alcohol because it puts me at ease from a stressful week,” Lynch said.
Lynch explained that even though he has heavy drinkers on his father side of his family, he knows that he can stop drinking at anytime.
“I drink on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays and sometimes on Sunday,” said Lynch. If he is at an event and everyone is drinking he will drink also. However, Lynch explains if he goes out and no one in the group is drinking alcohol he will not want to drink alcohol.
According to Lynch, drinking has never affected him completing a task with school because he knows that he can never use drinking as an excuse.
“I have control over myself so I don’t need a counselors telling me what my problems are,” Lynch said.
Most students tend to stop drinking whenever they believe it’s time to stop living for fun and start living responsibly.
“I will stop drinking when the time is right. Right now I am young so I’m going to have my fun until that time comes,” Lynch said.