College Binge Drinking Response
The Dirk Campaign which focused on negative consequences which featured a student passed out sleeping through a final exam, I felt really is not going to make someone at a party not want to drink. The story about the man waking up next to a woman beside him and not knowing who she is, is also probably not going to make a college student not want to drink. I mean we see these situations in movies. For example in Old School we see Owen Wilson wake up next to the teenage girl the morning after the fraternity party, as he called it the “releasing him in the wild.” We find it comical. I will speak for 90 percent of college students when I say we like to get drunk and we like to party thats the bottom line. I will however say, I have never met a person or any of my friends including myself who let a friend drive drunk or act irresponsible when it comes to driving. I do understand that there are other consequences of drinking alcohol. I remember for a period of time HBO actually produced those life stories I dont know if anyone remembers them but for some reason I do, which had an impact on me so it was successful. One story was about a man who was at a party, got drunk and drove home. On his way home he crashed into a young woman and killed her. For the rest of his life I believe the consequence of his actions was to write a check for one dollar to the family of the person he killed so that he would never forget what he had done. It literally drove him insane where he couldnt do it and was sent to jail. Stories like that make you actually think…..what if that was me? what if I was in his shoes? The story made you feel terrible for the family who lost their daughter and even for the young man who killed the woman. Those campaigns of the student late for class not taking a final is nothing compared to the story I mentioned.
That 1 dollar check stroy is very chilling. What people have to understand is when they drink and drive, they are not only at risk of killing someone or themselves but also changing the lives of the victim’s family forever. That is something you can never give back.
I know I must of seen that story about 10 years ago or it must of been in the early 90′s. I mentioned it to a couple people since I wrote this and they all remembered it. Some things you just never forget, whether it be on HBO or those PSA’s on TV. Social Marketing can leave an impression on people.