In an ongoing effort to address the critical problem of underage drinking, the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County presented The “HAZE” movie on January 5 in the GMHS library. It was a 36 minute film on the effects of alcohol abuse in college.
“There is a scientific reason the [drinking] law is twenty one years old,” said Jeff Levy, a Falls Church parent who participated in the discussion that followed the film.
The presentation was directed toward seniors heading into college, educating them on the dangers of underage and heavy drinking in college.
The documentary followed the story of Gordie Bailey, who died at the University of Colorado Boulder after a night of heavy drinking. It was centered around alcohol abuse prevention and when to call for help in college underage drinking.
The main message of the film was that if a student or a friend blacked out from drinking too much, just call for help. From the last study conducted by Virginia Universities, drunk minors have not been charged for calling help for a friend.
“I don’t care about the law. It’s just a bunch of rules in a book,” said Sgt. Daniel Pang from the Fairfax County Police Department . “What I care about are when your parents try to push aside me and hug you one last time before we haul you off to the morgue.”
The presentation was introduced by the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County.
The viewing was followed by a discussion panel, which featured Levy, Sgt. Pang, GMHS alum Austin Gogal (‘14), now a second year student at UVA, Dr. William Hauda of Inova Fairfax Hospital, and Casey Lingan, Deputy Chief of the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney for Fairfax County.
According to an article by CNN, the body is not fully developed until the mid to late twenties, while the emotional state is not developed until the early thirties. From a study done in 2005 from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, 44% of college students at four year colleges are binge drinkers. Of those students, 48% drink to get drunk as a reason for drinking alcohol.
The presentation was a useful reminder that the dangers of underage alcohol abuse are all too common. The presenters advised against abusing alcohol and offered plans to help others when they are too intoxicated to help themselves.
