College Alcohol Prevention Program Swings into Action

First Six Weeks of School Pose Critical Hurdle for Students

MetLife Foundation Renews Funding As Campaign Hits Campuses for Seventh Year

New York, NY - Facts on Tap, a national college-based prevention program for alcohol and other drugs, is currently gearing up for its most important time of the year: a critical six week period that will determine whether many college students make it to their second year of school or drop out for reasons related to binge drinking and drug use.

Each fall, 15 million students enroll in college. Sadly, about one third of first-year students fail to enroll for their second year, often due to alcohol or other drug use. According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the first six-weeks of the semester are particularly critical to a first-year student's academic success. The binge drinking that occurs during these initial weeks of college often sets the pace for the rest of the year.

The surge of orientation week parties and the drinking that follows through the early part of the first semester have posed a huge dilemma on college campuses. The American Council for Drug Education (ACDE), a national prevention nonprofit, developed Facts on Tap with major support from MetLife Foundation to combat the problem of binge drinking on campuses and help college students make a smooth transition through the first six high-risk weeks of school and through their first semester of college. The prevention and education program Facts on Tap offers free online resource for students and college health professionals.

Binge drinking is a significant problem on college campuses; each year about 1,400 college students die as a result of alcohol-related injuries and hundreds of thousands more are assaulted or injured, are arrested, engage in unprotected sex, or develop alcohol-related health problems.

Excessive alcohol consumption not only interferes with successful transition to campus life, but can lead to unhealthy long-term drinking patterns.

Launched in 1998, Facts on Tap is an alcohol and other drug prevention initiative designed to educate and inform students about alcohol and to combat binge drinking on college campuses. The program reaches out directly to students across the country and provides awareness materials, curricula for professionals, technical assistance, and training to more than 800 colleges nationwide. This week will mark the beginning of our back-to-school promotion of Facts on Tap materials. The first 200 colleges that order will receive a Facts on Tap Starter Kit for $200 (a savings of $200) and reduced prices on any of the "mini magazines" for students.

Facts on Tap provides students with the information they need to successfully confront alcohol-related issues. The program explains how alcohol affects the body and judgment, how to recognize the signs of alcoholism in peers, how alcohol and other drugs are connected to risky sexual behavior, and other valuable information. The program also has a unique component for children of alcoholics, the only one of its kind.

"Facts on Tap has proven to be a useful resource for educators and students in the fight against binge drinking on college campuses," said Mitchell S. Rosenthal, M.D., President of Phoenix House, which administers the program through its prevention affiliate, ACDE. "Support from MetLife Foundation makes it possible for us to bring this program to the many colleges and universities that have come to count on our materials as primary sources of information for their students."

"Students need to understand early the dangers associated with excessive drinking and learn that there are alternative ways of having fun in college and making friends that don't include alcohol and other drugs," said Sibyl Jacobson, President and CEO, MetLife Foundation. "Facts on Tap provides the resources and tools educators and administrators need to enhance their alcohol and drug prevention programs and combat high-risk drinking on campus."

To learn more about Facts on Tap, log on to its web site www.factsontap.org. For specific inquiries and ordering information, please contact Bessie Oster, Director of Facts on Tap, at 646-505-2062 or by e-mail at boster@phoenixhouse.org.

Source: www.jointogether.org