Alcohol: Get the Facts on Tap
Factsontap.org

Myth 1 "I'm more fun when I drink."

REALITY: Believe us, no one thinks you're fun when you're slurring, stumbling all over the place, puking in    your pillow, or keeping your roommate up all night. There's a big difference between laughing with someone    and at someone. Do you really want to be someone's entertainment?

Myth 2 "Everyone drinks heavily at parties so they can relax and hang out."

REALITY: Though many people use alcohol to help themselves loosen up in social situations, if you'd stop   drinking for a sec to take a closer look, you'd realize that most people aren't drinking heavily. There are only a    few people who really get trashed at parties, lose control, embarrass themselves, or endanger their lives.

Myth 3  "If I didn't drink, there would be nothing to do at my school."

REALITY: Uh, hello? It's called a college handbook. Maybe you stuck yours under your bed after the first week   of school. Find it, read it, and learn about the clubs, sports, and service organizations your school offers. You    may be surprised to find out how many people are involved in extracurricular activities other than the Drinking Team.

Myth 4  "It's no one else's business how much I drink. I can handle it."

REALITY: If you're drunk and lose your keys and then have to pound on the door until your roommate wakes   up and lets you in, that affects your roommate. In fact, studies show that one person's drinking habits can affect   an average of five people other than the drinker. Still think it's nobody else's business?

Myth 5 "Even though my mom or dad is an alcoholic, I know how to drink without letting it get out of hand."

REALITY: Maybe, maybe not. Children who grow up in homes with parental alcoholism are three to four times more likely to become alcoholics themselves. Though this doesn't mean you'll definitely have an alcohol problem if one of your parents does, it does mean you should pay special attention to your behavior. You are not like people whose parents aren't alcoholics.

Myth 6  "I just drink socially."

REALITY: Drinking with other people doesn't make you a social drinker. Social drinkers might drink regularly but they don't get drunk. Nor does a social drinker exhibit any of the clinical signs of addiction to alcohol like out-of-control behavior while under the influence, inability to control alcohol cravings, and severe memory loss, like blackouts. Flip to the last page of this brochure, take the self-assessment test, and find out for sure if alcohol plays too big a part in your life.