Colleges and communities should also work with campus area bars catering to students. Bar owners, whose livelihoods depend on sales to students, are frequently suspicious of attempts to rein in alcohol abuse. If all adhere to a shared code of standards, then no bar owner will be at a competitive disadvantage. Ultimately it is the parents of students who can have the biggest impact. Parents of prospective college students should inquire about alcohol control and education practices at schools being considered by their children.
Abuse is far more likely at schools where it is tolerated.
Parents should realize that college students who have even a single alcohol violation at their school are likely to be frequent offenders who just happened to get caught. Students with multiple violations inevitably have serious problems and need strong parental intervention. The National Council on Alcoholism predicts that more college students today will eventually die of alcohol-related causes than will go on to graduate school. Don't let your child be one of them.