Virginia Lacrosse Player One of Many Needing More Underage Drinking Classes

by: Mike Miller
3/1/2017

We all remember the tragic events at the University of Virginia last with the death of lacrosse player Yeardley Love. If you recall she was allegedly beaten to death by her ex-boyfriend, George Huguely V, a player on the top-ranked Cavaliers men’s team.

There's little question that Huguely, the former University of Virginia student on trial for murder, had a problem with alcohol.

History of Alcohol-related Troubles

He had been arrested twice for drinking-related infractions, one of them violent, in his early 20s. And he admits to consuming at least 15 drinks — and likely had more, witnesses said — the day he confronted Love at her off-campus apartment in 2010, assaulting her so severely she later died.

But trial testimony over the past two weeks from witnesses, most of them former U.Va. students, has repeatedly shown that Huguely, now 24, was part of a college culture where some young people drink before working on papers, "pregame" before going to bars and drink to get drunk almost every time.

As a college graduate myself I can attest to the ridiculous amount of drinking that goes on. Like many alcoholics, my problem with booze began in high school.

The alcohol abuse starts in high school, with kids imbibing on the weekends, and frequently grows out of control once they're out from under their parents' supervision, prevention experts said. They added that shows like MTV's "Real World" and "Jersey Shore" and annual lists of top party colleges add fuel to the fire, feeding an impression that everyone gets wasted all the time.

Who is to say that had Huguely received alcohol classes that this incident might not have happened. Many drunks do not get violent when they drink. Colleges are most-definitely aware of the role alcohol plays on campus and have no illusions that many of their students are getting drunk. So what is the answer? How can we keep alcohol-related tragedies from happening?

Source: www.baltimoresun.com