There seems to be a disturbing trend across college campuses. The troublesome problems associated with binge drinking cannot be denied nor can this display of disquieting behavior be ignored. The answers to this problem may be quite simple. Alcohol is not the problem itself; society's attitudes, values, and morals are at the heart of the binge-drinking problem. By using alternative methods of education and opening the lines of communication between students and their parents and educators, society can curb the binge-drinking problem among our college youth.

Harvard University's recent School of Public Health College Alcohol Study found that binge drinking is prevalent on most college campuses (Nelson, Wechsler, and Weitzman 1) . The study defines binge drinking as five or more drinks in a row for men and four for women at least once in a two-week period. Not surprisingly, the study also finds that these students tend to have a higher rate of educational and social problems than their non-binge-drinking peers. Not only does this problem disrupt studies, but reports of vandalism, fighting, and rape are often associated with binge drinking. Most college students can

repeat stories of fraternity parties where beer bongs are the norm. Excessive drunkenness is often a way of life -- even encouraged. Excessive drinking remains one of the ultimate acts of rebellion against the establishment, school, and parents. This binge-drinking problem, which can be traced to college campuses from generation to generation, is not only the student's responsibility, but society's as well.

The key to responsible drinking is holding young people responsible for their behavior. Loose restrictions on alcohol accompanied with strict intolerance to binge drinking and other alcohol abuse, will get the message across to our college students. Soon college students will enter the job market, and one must understand that just as in college, responsible drinking is the individual's responsibility. All parents and educators can do is listen and guide young people. Too often society places strict rules on young people, and they find no room to breathe. When students leave college, they are expected to hold down a job and act responsibly. College students are adults, and responsible behavior is expected, but first society must do its part by treating young people as adults.

Although students have a responsibility to themselves, their family, and their studies, the problems associated with alcohol consumption begin long before a student reaches college; the solution begins with parents and educators. In the U.S., society governs the uses and functions of alcohol, and accepted rules and regulations decide who can drink, how much a person can drink, and how one should behave while consuming alcohol (Snyder 9) . Society tells our 18-year-olds that they are adults, and we send them off to school or expect them to begin supporting themselves. Because our college students are adults, society should allow our 18-year-olds to consume alcohol. College students tend to be less responsive to rule-based approaches, and students are tired of the anti-drinking campaigns and the endless lectures on the evils of drinking - these tactics are not working (Nelson, Wechsler, and Weitzman 5) . While many paren

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Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)