Pregaming habits may be dangerous, students say

By Jill Nawoyski
November 19, 2014

Weekly Health Matters graphic: Explains how the body normally responds to cold, and why alcohol in the blood gives a person the false sense of warmth. MCT 2009<p>

07000000; 10000000; 15000000; 17000000; HTH; krtfeatures features; krthealth health; krtlifestyle lifestyle; krtsports sports; krtweather weather; krtworld world; leisure; LIF; MED; SPO; WEA; krt; krt mct; hulteng; 2009; krt2009; mctgraphic; 07016000; 10010000; HEA; krtfitness fitness; krtkidhealth kid health; krtmenhealth men health; krtwomenhealth women health; LEI; physical fitness; 10012000; FEA; hunting hunt; krtoutdoors outdoors; OTD; 10013000; 10015000; 15002000; 15003000; 15003001; 15031000; 15031001; 15053000; adventure; ALPS; FBC; FBN; fish; HKC; HKN; ICEH; alpine skiing; krtfootball football; krthockey; krtintlsports; krtnational national; krtncaafootball ncaa college; krtncaahockey hockey; krtskiing skiing ski; SKI; SNOW; u.s. us united states; WIN; 03007000; 03015001; DIS; krtblizzard blizzard; krtcold cold; krtsnow snow; krtstorm storm; krtwinter winter; winter storm; krtdiversity diversity; youth; wf hm healthmatters health matters; alcohol; beer; blood; circulation; drink; drunk; extremities; feet; foot; frostbite; hand; heart; heat; hypothermia; impairment; intoxicated; kidneys; liquor; liver; lungs; muscle; organ; shiver; vessel; wine
2006 survey on the drinking habits; chart shows drinking levels increase early in the first year of college. Philadelphia Inquirer 2007. (MCT)

No matter what school that they choose to go to, students are going to run into drinking at some point in their college career. Aside from drinking at parties either on-campus or off, many decide to drink before they even arrive to their destination. Pregaming is something that a lot of people do for a variety of different reasons. We live in a generation where taking a few shots or having a few beers before going out is deemed normal.

2006 survey on the drinking habits; chart shows drinking levels increase early in the first year of college. Philadelphia Inquirer 2007. (MCT)
2006 survey on the drinking habits; chart shows drinking levels increase early in the first year of college. Philadelphia Inquirer 2007. (MCT)

Why do people feel the need to drink before they head out to a party?

“I think a lot of people drink before going out to avoid the risk of getting caught with alcohol at parties and getting in trouble. It could also be to avoid anything being put into their drinks at parties,” sophomore Kiley Sharp said.

Weekend parties are not the only events in which students drink beforehand. Dances are held on the weekends around campus sponsored by different groups and events are held throughout the week that CAP Board plans. Junior Dan Plowman is a member of CAP Board and he does not usually see many students showing up to their events under the influence of alcohol, however, he does sense that pregaming is present in general at the college.

“Living in the generation where social media is huge and has handles like #ThirstyThursday makes some students come to think it’s natural to pre-game and do such activities before events,” Plowman said.

School dances can sometimes get crazy; ambulances have had to show up to campus before just to pick up students who had a little too much to drink.

“I think a lot of people feel pressured to drink before dances, because they think it will be more fun if they do,” Sharp said.

As for the party scene on campus, public safety does not check red solo cups unless the students are acting out, just because it could potentially be soda or a different substance. However, when students bring beer cans out in the open and public safety sees them, that’s when the problems occur. Many students choose to drink off campus to avoid the punishment that they might receive if they get caught with alcohol on campus. Students pregame behind closed doors, then take taxis to parties or find a designated driver.

Public safety usually does not see the pregaming take place, but they end up having to deal with the end result. After students pre-game for parties, they head out and continue to drink more. The problems start to occur when they get back onto campus after a night out. Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights after 1a.m. are when the troubles usually start to happen.

“If you’re going to get someone drunk, take care of them. Too much stuff can happen,” Sgt. Thomas Fulmer, Public Safety officer, said.

Pregaming for events and then continuing to drink could lead to trouble, causing students to drink more than they would have without pre-gaming. “Students need to be careful,” Fulmer said. “People don’t realize that they could die by some of the stuff that they do.”

@jnawoyski

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Jill Nawoyski

I just want to impact the lives of others while finding myself along the way. Majoring in Digital Communications and Marketing at Cabrini College - Editor in Chief & Co-News Editor of The Loquitur, member of LOQation Weekly News, Student Government Senator and Student Ambassador. Dreamer, doer and firm believer that the ocean can change lives.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Perspectives

Special Project

Title IX Redefined Website

Produced by Cabrini Communication
Class of 2024

Listen Up

Season 2, Episode 3: Celebrating Cabrini and Digging into its Past

watch

Scroll to Top
Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap