Forget the upcoming election and global environmental concerns and listen up to something that affects all college students, alcohol consumption. An article in last week's Time Magazine, "Should You Drink with Your Kids?" reported that although more students on college campuses are abstaining from alcohol use, there are more alcohol-related crimes and hospital visits than ever. So, there are less people drinking, but more "hard-core" drinkers than ever before. Sure, there is a sense of pride involved in doing the longest keg-stand or funneling multiple beers at once, but more college students are ending up in the ER, comatose (see Vicious Attack at Local College Bar and the latest on the subject which has reached international news, SUNY Bar Attack Leads to World War 3?) or even dead. Countless examples come to mind, but most recently a friend of mine came back from the infamous Rathskeller in Binghamton (the site of the aforementioned senseless beating that left a 22 year old in a coma) hobbling with blood-soaked jeans. Needless to say, a bandaid just wouldn't cut it; four hours and almost one-hundred stitches later he was good as new, well except for being extremely hungover. Is it worth it? For most college drinkers, there is no such thing as a night without beer pong (or beirut as some of you call it).

The article proposes a way to keep us out of harm's way, it may sound crazy, but drinking with your parents. While for some of us drinking is the only way to have an enjoyable evening with our parents (Not me! Note: My parents might read this.), it may actually keep you from becoming a hard-core drinker. The only guy in my fraternity who isn't a hard-core drinker, though he occasionally has a few tequila sunrises (yes, I said a dude drinking tequila sunrises!) grew up knocking back a few beers with his parents from time to time. Though his drink of choice is rather poor (and feminine), his decision to just have a couple of brews rather than playing fortyhands is probably a good move.

Consider this: 26% of college drinkers say they have forgotten where they were or what they did while drinking at least once, that they can remember.  And, 13% of college students said they suffered "accident or injury" as a result of alcohol consumption according to the article.
 

Is it possible that by indulging in a glass of wine with the folks can keep teenagers from blooming into proud binge drinkers?