An image posted to Nicole John's blog  |
The death of a 17-year-old diplomat's daughter, who plunged to her death shortly after her father had settled her in her dorm, should shock every parent who is dropping off their son or daughter at college this fall.
Nicole John, daughter of U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Eric John, fell from the top story of a 25-story building in Manhattan at about 4:15 a.m. on August 27, landing on a third floor ledge. A new student at Parson's New School of Design, Nicole had been out with friends at a club before the party moved to a 25-year-old man's Herald Towers apartment.
John's death has been ruled an accident, but alcohol was a factor, as bottles of Tequila, Vodka, and Scotch were strewn around the apartment when police arrived. The building engineer said that some of the girls who got out of the taxi in the wee hours could barely walk.
Nicole John was an intelligent and creative young woman who spoke four languages and had traveled all over the world. She also had a Brazilian ID that gave her age as 23.
Many of us know that our college-age children were drinking illegally when they were in high school. We assume they will have some drinking incidents in college that might lead to a nasty hangover or, at the worst, a DUI. During family week at colleges, we may even participate in a pub crawl with our underage children thinking of it as harmless fun.
Yet the evidence is clear. College-age drinking is dangerous and sometimes fatal. Statistics from a National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Task Force report indicate that each year 1,825 college students die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries; almost 600,000 students are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol; and almost 700,000 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking.What can parents do to reduce the odds that their college students will binge drink or otherwise abuse alcohol? The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has some suggestions on how parents can talk to their children about the dangers of college drinking.The Partnership for a Drug-Free America also has information on underage drinking. They caution "Don't buy into the myth that allowing teens to drink around you will help them deal with alcohol issues when they are on their own. Research shows that no matter who they drink with in high school, they will sustain and increase their drinking level in college." In fact, students who drank in high school are three times more likely to begin heavy episodic drinking in college.Nicole had a fake ID, but she was only 17. And surely others who were with her knew that.
Who knows if Nicole John's death could have been prevented by stricter enforcement of establishments with liquor licenses not serving patrons who are obviously drunk. We do know that those who are of age and serve minors in their homes -- or know of such activities -- and don't report them are all culpable in alcohol-related deaths.Undoubtedly there were many who could have stepped in at some point before Nicole went to a window and climbed out on a ledge with her camera, perhaps to take a picture to post on her blog. Anyone who believes that alcohol impairs judgment could have pulled her back from the edge, or curbed her drinking prior to that. But if everyone was drinking, then no one had any judgment. And a beautiful young girl is dead.It is up to parents to do their best to convey the simple fact, before teens leave for college, that alcohol impairs judgment -- and that momentary lapse in judgment could kill you.Judy Kirkwood is a Parent Ambassador for The Partnership for a Drug-Free America as well as a member of their Parent Advisory Board. Her blog, http://motherwarriors.blogspot.com, won an award from MADD for a series of articles on drinking and driving.
