It’s very common for college students to drink alcohol. Many of them are still under 21 years of age, which means they can’t purchase it themselves. But it is still a common recreational drug on college campuses and something most people loosely associate with “the college experience”.
As a parent, you may be concerned about your teenager’s choices when they go off to college. Are they going to be arrested for underage drinking, drunk driving, furnishing alcohol to a minor or something else of this nature? Teenagers have their whole future ahead of them and an arrest can really derail their plans. Why would they take this kind of risk and use alcohol in college?
Social connections are sometimes built around it
For one thing, college students often use alcohol socially. They are meeting new people, living in a new place, and having new experiences. Alcohol becomes part of this process, and they may want to drink just to fit in with their peers and make friends.
Additionally, college students have a lot of unstructured time and limited interaction with adults who are in charge of them. This may be the first time that a college student is living on their own. The adults in their lives may be in charge of certain aspects – like a college professor who is in charge of a class – but students don’t have parents at home to monitor their behavior anymore. Therefore, they may begin to experiment with alcohol if they have been curious.
Your child’s legal options after an underage possession charge
It’s very easy for college students to get alcohol, even though they are underage. If your teenager is facing charges, make sure you know exactly what legal defense options you have.