National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week

October 17th-23rd is National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week (NCAAW). Held each year, this observance week is designed to bring campuses together to promote awareness and responsibility regarding excessive drinking among college students. According to a 2017 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Survey, 53.6% of full-time college students indulge in binge drinking. This educational campaign offers promotions on education, prevention, research, network, and other initiatives.

Impaired drinking not only can cost a student their college career, but it can also take an innocent life. Campuses around the globe provide programs on eliminating substance abuse, specifically targeting the effects it has around college campuses. Additional strategies for NCAAW includes safety tips, responsibility and respect for the law. While strategies vary from campus to campus, additional tools such as social media, radio stations, and television can provide awareness on this hot topic.

Alcohol safety should be a top priority for colleges and universities, but NCAAW is a helpful reminder to follow the best practices around campuses. Here are five things students can conduct to support students and make them stay safe while making smart decisions about alcohol.

1. Keep Open Communication with Student Leaders
2. Know Campus Policies About Drinking
3. Create a Culture of Reporting
4. Remember to Look for Patterns and Shifts in Behavior
5. Teach Students How to Deal with Stress in a Healthy Way

*Use #NCAAW or #NationalCollegiateAlcoholAwarenessWeek to share on social media.*