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Has your child gone off to college for his freshman year and been indulging in the freedom a bit too much? Now that we’re mid-way through the first quarter or semester at most colleges, we can gage how much time our kids are spending studying by a quick look at mid-term report cards. Studies show that drinking accounts for about 25% of academic problems in college. All the indulgence leads to missed classes, hangovers and therefore dropping grades. Many of us can still vividly remember all the parties that went on day after day, and how difficult it was for some students to stay on track. In fact, according to the National Institute of Health, four out of five college students drink alcohol and over 40% of them binge drink. For those not completely familiar with the term, binge drinking refers to the heavy consumption of alcohol over a short time, which is generally defined as 5 or more drinks in a row for men, and 4 or more drinks in a row for women. It’s considered heavy binge drinking when about 3 or more of these events occur over 2 weeks. Not too hard to imagine in the college environment.

The Scripps Research Institute recently published findings that in rats it only takes a few months of intermittent binge drinking to damage the brain. A major point is that this damage includes signs of a reduction in one’s overall ability to control how much alcohol they drink at the next party. Between the episodes of binge drinking, this group of affected brain cells remained unusually active and the more active, the more the rats drank during the next binge. The conclusion was interesting because its normal to see changes in brain activity in humans and animals that are heavy drinkers on a daily basis, but these changes were found in rats after only a few months of intermittent binge drinking.

Educating our teenagers continues to be the key in preventing alcohol and drug abuse. A quality way to impart and reinforce alcohol and drug awareness is to have your teenager take a Minor In Possession class online during their next visit home from school. Analysis done by the Department of Justice shows that binge drinking occurs most frequently during the years between 18 and 20. So, when they try to talk their way out of it, remind them that this is for their own benefit in the long run.

Online MIP classes are also available for students who have already been cited for an underage drinking offense like Minor in Consumption or Possession of Alcohol Under the Legal Age. If your judge will approve taking a distance learning class, then taking this course online is the easiest and most convenient way to complete the requirement. You simply register online and the class is immediately available to be taken at any time of the day or night. The student can finish the class in one day, one weekend or over a period of a few weeks depending on their own life commitments. A Certificate of Completion is issued at the end of the course to prove the student successfully finished the requirement. Give your teenager the tools he needs to lead a safe, productive and healthy life by having him take an MIP class before it’s too late!