2008 Woodie Awards
Aftereffects of drinking can be painful
By: Alex Piazza
Issue date: 12/5/07 Section: News
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Greg Marx does not have to deal with early morning hangovers.
Nor does the Macomb senior wake up to an empty wallet after a long night spent at the bar.
Instead, Marx has achieved something not many college students could ever dream of - abstinence from alcohol.
"I never started because I never saw the point of it," Marx said. "I've had a family history of alcohol abuse."
During his freshman year, Marx said he sometimes felt uncomfortable at parties because everyone was getting drunk, while he remained sober.
Mark Minelli, associate professor and community health division director, said there are certain things students can use to escape the pressures of drinking, because saying "no" doesn't always work.
"There's just something about having to drink," said Minelli, who has written four books and numerous professional journal articles relating to substance abuse.
Students can say they are the designated driver to avoid drinking, he said.
"People usually seem to understand that one," Minelli said.
Minelli also suggested blaming one's alcohol abstinence on a fictional medical condition, or just drinking a Coke and telling people it's a mixed drink.
Now in his senior year, Marx said pressure from peers to drink has died off.
"I'm comfortable with it now," Marx said. "I tell people I don't drink, and that's usually the end of it."
Marx's decision to not drink not only helps preserve his bank account, but also his health.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reported 1,700 college students, ages 18 to 24, die each year from alcohol-related injuries. Another 599,000 students are unintentionally injured while drunk and 696,000 students are assaulted while under the influence.
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