Jimmy Meyer and his family were raised on farms, but his brother married a woman from a wealthy family who did not live on a farm. Meyer said alcohol allowed the families to relax at the wedding reception and get to know each other better.
“If it hadn’t been for a little bit of beer and whiskey, we wouldn’t have been able to meld quite as well with the affluent people that were on the other side of the family,” said Meyer, assistant manager of the Texas Hall of Fame in Bryan. “We could speak a little more easily between each other when we’d had a few drinks.”
Besides relaxing them, Meyer said alcohol provided a topic of conversation; it was one of the few things they had in common.
As much a part of college life as books and classes, alcohol is an admitted part of Texas A&M’s culture. Northgate bars and dunking one’s Aggie ring in a pitcher of beer are just two in a series of Aggieland images.
However, officials at A&M’s Alcohol and Drug Education Programs (ADEP) and TheBrazos Valley Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse said they want to warn students of the effects of the misuse of alcohol.
Jennifer Ford, programming coordinator of ADEP, said a person has an alcohol problem if he drinks for the sole purpose of getting drunk.
Ford said ADEP’s stance is that it wants students to be responsible about their use of alcohol.
“We’re not a prohibitionist office,” she said. “We’re not anti-alcohol.”Ford said ADEP opposes underage drinking in all circumstances.
“If you’re under 21, it’s against the law,” she said. “That’s not a morality question or a value question.”
In the case that a student would like to talk to someone about a drug or alcohol-related problem, he can call 845-0280 and make an appointment with Dr. Dennis Reardon, a full-time chemical dependency counselor who sees students free of charge.
Ford said ADEP counseling is confidential, covered under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
Organizations such as Caring Aggies are Protecting Over Our Lives (CARPOOL), organized in September 1999, provide free rides for students and strives to eliminate drinking and driving related accidents.
Ben Carter, chair of operations for CARPOOL, said drinking can be OK if it does not lead to drunk driving or alcohol poisoning.
“One night I might be working CARPOOL, and the next night I might be taking CARPOOL home,” he said. “It’s all about making responsible decisions.”
Meyer said he sees the good and bad effects of alcohol.
“I do see some excessive drinking among college students that happens from time to time, but I think that’s just part of being a kid,” Meyer said.
Meyer said alcohol allows some people to relax, reduce their tension and forget about the troubles of the day. However, in excessive amounts, it can cause bad judgment, he said.
In a joint effort with ADEP, A&M officials send out birthday cards to students on their 21st birthday sponsored by the parents of Michael Wagener, who died of alcohol poisoning on his 21st birthday. The card contains information about safe drinking and Wagener’s story. It also includes the symptoms of alcohol poisoning.
Carter said if a student has been drinking and doesn’t have a sober ride, they can call CARPOOL at 693-9905 Thursday through Saturday from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.