Most students at UCLA choose to drink responsibly

By Helen Seliverstov
DAILY BRUIN CONTRIBUTOR
[email protected]

Black Sunday, drunken 21st birthdays and nightly drinking games
lead many to believe that all college students drink.

But a subculture of UCLA students that do not drink is spread
throughout campus, and extends even to the Greek system.

These students’ decision to not drink stems from religious
beliefs, family history and the desire to not violate laws, said
Pam Viele, director of Student Health Education.

For second-year political science student Erica Husse-Jerome,
who does not drink and tries to avoid situations where an excessive
amount of alcohol is present, her decision came as a result of a
long family history of alcoholism.

“I’ve seen what it does to families; I saw what it
did to my father,” Husse-Jerome said. “Why would I
drink after I’ve seen the consequences of it?”

Husse-Jerome, who feels singled out at parties when people
become suspicious of her not drinking, said her friends often joke
that they will secretly spill alcohol into her coke, so she prefers
to drink water.

“At first, when people see that you do not drink, they
perceive you as a prude that cannot relax,” Husse-Jerome
said. “But I can have a good time without alcohol, and I do
not see the benefit of it.”

Nationally, 46.5 percent of college students have more than five
drinks at a time, according to a 2000 survey by the national Core
Institute.

The West Coast generally has lower rates of high risk drinking,
which in part accounts for UCLA’s low binge drinking
statistics, Viele said.

In a 1999 study of UCLA undergraduate students, 24 percent said
they completely abstain from drinking alcohol, while 21 percent
report having more than four drinks at parties.

That means 79 percent of students are responsible drinkers,
Viele said. She also said that people usually overestimate the
actual drinking rates on college campuses by a factor of two.

Nevertheless, like many, Husse-Jerome feels that everyone around
her drinks.

Many people drink in the dorms and residence halls, making it
more difficult to refrain from drinking, she said.

“I only know three people that do not drink at all,”
Husse-Jerome said.

Because she wants to be around people who are able to have a
good time without drinking, she said she does not plan to serve
alcohol at her wedding. She plans on serving sparkling cider
instead of champagne.

Meanwhile, some groups define themselves by their abstention
from drinking, such as Alpha Gamma Omega, a national Christian dry
fraternity.

“We are definitely viewed differently from other
fraternities because we are a group that focuses on helping each
other grow, and we don’t party like the others do,”
said chapter vice president James Person.

With 35 current members and an exponential growth rate, Person
said the group has no trouble attracting new people.

“We discourage those who are under 21 to drink because it
is illegal, but those that are of age have a choice whether or not
they want to drink ““ just not on the house territory,”
Person said.