<p>Wow, travelfun, what an excellent post. I found myself agreeing with pretty much everything that you wrote. I too have often wondered how many alcohol-related ‘incidents’ could have been prevented if a person’s friends were not afraid of potential criminal charges that almost always seem to be levied when someone chooses to do the responsible thing and call for help. At my current school, whenever an ambulance is called to treat someone for alcohol poisoning, the police respond as well, and typically end up charging everyone still left around if they are under 21. Such policies do nothing to encourage “responsible” drinking amongst college students. </p>
<p>Policies towards drinking, particularly underage drinking, need to change. I can remember getting a drinking ticket in high school after blowing a .03 (walking, not driving, nonetheless) and thinking, “Well, if the charge is the same regardless, I’m not going to get short-changed on any future drinking tickets; I’m going to go all out and at least make it worthwhile.” Not the smartest strategy, I’ll admit, but I was in high school and it made sense at the time. </p>
<p>I can also remember a meeting that the state alcohol agents here (ALE) arranged with all of the upperclassmen of my high school shortly before prom my senior year. The agent told us matter of factly that if they pulled over a car that had a person under 21 under the influence, the driver would be charged with possession of alcohol as well. When asked if such a policy would be dangerous as it would discourage people from choosing to be designated drivers, he deferred, saying that we didn’t need to drink anyways. The impact? No one wanted to DD after prom, because they were afraid of being punished for being responsible friends. As a result, plenty of people were driving that shouldn’t have been that night.</p>