I am interested in hearing from states who have passed this sort of law to see if they can ascertain any sort of impact on behavior.
One proactive measure we've taken - we've sent the BRAD cards the last several years. During our evaluation of the program over the last several years, our numbers show that approximately 14% of the students who received the card drank less alcohol on their birthday because of receiving the card. Many others tell us that even though they still drank as much as they had anticipated, they used some protective measures on their birthday - alternating alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages, having a sober driver, had something to eat before they went out, etc.
-----Original Message-----
From: Drug Abatement Research Discussion [mailto:DRUGHIED@listserv.tamu.edu]On Behalf Of Robert Chapman
Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 12:34 PM
To: DRUGHIED@listserv.tamu.edu
Subject: "Power Hour" and State legislation
In yesterdays editions of both News From the Front (http://thenetworkws.blogspot.com/) and the HEC News (http://www.edc.org/hec/news/hecnews/1460.html) there were stories about the practice of doing the "power hour" at 12 AM the "morning" of a student's 21st birthday. Although I invite comments on this practice in general in hopes that we can discuss it from the perspective of proactive interventions that might be taken, I am particularly curious about the opinions of list readers regarding the efforts that some States are taking to curb/deter this practice by passing laws that define one's 21st birthday occurring "after" the bars have closed.
As you may be aware, a number of States - Minnesota's efforts being cited in the News From the Front article - have attempted to redress this high-risk drinking practice by passing legislation that established one's official birthday as happening "after" the bars have closed. For example, if the bars close at 2 AM in a particular State, the legislation defines one's birthday as happening at some time after 2, e.g., 3 AM.
I am curious what readers think about these laws. Do they have the potential to reduce the likelihood that students will attempt to do 21 shots upon turning 21 at midnight or will they just postpone the ritual until the next evening? And if students are likely to do the "power hour" irrespective of legislative efforts to prevent such, are there proactive steps that AOD prevention specialists and health educators might consider to address this dangerous drinking practice?
I look forward to reading your thoughts.
Best regards,
Robert
Robert J. Chapman, PhD
Coordinator, AOD Program
Associate Faculty, Clinical/Counseling Psychology
La Salle University
1900 W. Olney Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19141-1199
Phone: 215-951-1357 Fax: 215-951-1451
mailto:chapman@lasalle.edu
home page http://www.robertchapman.net
Visit The Network newsletter, "News From the Front" - http://thenetworkws.blogspot.com/
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