Father says alcohol killed KU student

[proud2BlibKansan]

DENVER | The father of a 19-year-old University of Kansas student found dead in a fraternity house on campus says alcohol is to blame.

Jason Wren of Littleton, Colo., a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, was found dead about 2:30 p.m. Sunday, according to Lawrence police.

Police Capt. Ray Urbanek said an autopsy would be performed to determine the cause of death.

However, the teen’s father said Monday that Jason Wren, a former Arapahoe High School honor student, drank heavily before he died.

“One week of fraternity living killed him,” Jay Wren told The Denver Post. “He overdrank. Kids have got to understand alcohol is the worst.”

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Jay Wren said his son moved in to the SAE house a couple of weeks ago after getting kicked out of his KU dorm for drinking and other violations.

more . . . http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1077063.html

[tangent90]

1. That's very sad but how does a chemical have the ability to accept "blame"?

...

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. It's interesting that he was kicked out of the dorm for drinking

and ended up living in a frat house where he died from drinking.

Makes me wonder what if anything his family tried to do to help him and also, if there was anything they could have done.

Very sad story all around.

[tangent90]

6. I won't paint with a really broad brush but when I was in college, SAE was known

to be one house with free-flowing beer & booze. ATO was a close second. I don't think they got those reputations in a total vacuum.
:shrug:

[KurtNYC]

12. a neighbor of mine did not drink at all until moving into a frat

where there was a culture of alcoholism.

IMHO, parents would do well to introduce their late teens to a little beer or wine so that they can learn to drink in moderation. There is big difference between a drink with dinner and drinking until you puke or pass out (or both). Alcohol consumption of more than 3-4 drinks in one session produces a narcotic effect and addiction issues. Teens should learn this as if their lives depend upon it. Because it does.

[proud2BlibKansan]

22. My dad did that

When I was around 16, he took me in the kitchen one night and showed me where all the liquor was and the little book with all the cocktail recipes in it. He also said I could help myself to a cold beer anytime I wanted. As long as I stayed at home, I could drink all I wanted. And I could never serve alcohol to my friends or my siblings. From that night on, my parents would offer me a glass of wine at dinner if they had it, or a beer.

The great thing right away - it really made me feel grown up. And how wonderful that was for a teenager.

But the long term benefit is I never did become a problem drinker. I drank until I threw up a time or two, like most of my friends did. But it didn't become a habit. And I have 3 younger siblings who also never had drinking problems.

The few times it came up in conversation, my parents would tell us that they had friends who developed lifelong drinking problems in college.

Now the other side of this story is that we were teenagers in the 60s and 70s so yes, we did partake of drugs. :) But not to an extreme.

I always really appreciated my dad and his attitude towards drinking.

[pnwmom]

27. It would be nice if it were that easy. But that method wouldn't work for people

with a genetically higher risk of becoming an alcoholic. Those people would be better off waiting until their brains are fully developed before they start drinking, and even then they'll always be at higher risk. Unfortunately, we don't know who's at higher risk genetically, although alcoholism does run in families.

[proud2BlibKansan]

31. Yes that's true

but we didn't have any alcoholism in our family so my dad was doing a good thing.

Also I would think this way parents would know if their child had a drinking problem.

[pnwmom]

35. Parents wouldn't know if their child had drinking problem if the child hadn't

started drinking yet! Unfortunately, even if you know there is alcoholism in the family, you can't predict which of your children might be the one or ones to develop a problem. And alcoholism is insidious . . . it can take years to develop. Or it can happen almost overnight.

One of our relatives, a very moderate drinker, adopted basically your father's attitude about introducing his children to sensible drinking. It "worked" with his oldest, but when his second went to college, it was a different story. The 18 yr. old instantly got caught up in the heavy-drinking culture at college, and has been struggling with alcoholism ever since.

[proud2BlibKansan]

36. I meant that if the kids can drink at home, the parents can detect substance abuse

Sounds like the 18 year old in your family would have become an alcoholic regardless.

[pnwmom]

39. It's hard to know. But it can't help someone who is a potential alcoholic

to find himself in a culture where the social life -- for a huge number of students -- centers around binge drinking.

Anyway, my point is that your father's approach makes sense -- but it might not protect the people who are most at risk of alcoholism. In other words, the fact that you've had no problem with alcohol might be related more to your genes and less to your father's approach to introducing you to alcohol.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. Wow, same here

I also had a relative in SAE. He was nuts. Graduated from college and went on to a dysfunctional life of alcoholism and broken families. Sad story.

[WI_DEM]

2. I read the story, sounds like the kid had a big drinking problem.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. And so young.

[pnwmom]

18. Almost all colleges have a lot of binge drinkers. It's a huge part of the social

life, and a real problem.

Parents should do what they can to prepare their freshman for safely making their way in that environment. And then keep tabs on them while they're there.

[mediaman007]

5. Not many young people use alcohol and moderation in the same

sentence. The father's choice of words were unfortunate, but this isn't an isolated incident.

[iamthebandfanman]

9. moderation is the key!

to almost anything enjoyable in life... as typically anything that makes you feel good has a nasty side effect waiting in the wing...

[iamthebandfanman]

7. sounds like his peers

and himself killed him..self...

lol.

cant really blame the alochol on this one.

im not a big fan of it or drinking either.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. It isn't as though you drink too much and realize it's time to stop.

Your sensibilities are beyond impaired. Fraternities have a tradition of using abuse of alcohol as communal ritual. My brother's life was at peril during his initiation between the alcohol and hypothermia as his "brothers" wouldn't let him leave temperatures of under 30.

[iamthebandfanman]

10. i thought hazing was outlawed..

is this not considered a form of it ?

[pnwmom]

28. Speeding is outlawed, too, but how many college students never break that law?

[LisaM]

11. They need to get a grip on people drinking hard liquor

A lot of college presidents want to lower the drinking age to 18. It sounds counter intuitive, but in reality, they will probably be able to control it better by having beer at campus events. Beer is not as deadly as hard liquor, which is generally the culprit in these cases.

My dorm used to have kegs of beer at parties.

[shadowknows69]

13. I"m not sure it's a good thing to lower the drinking age but it's an absurd law

Kids are going to do it anyway and maybe they will be safer if they can do it in a bar that will cut them off when they start getting stupid.

[proud2BlibKansan]

26. We could drink beer at 18 and had lots of beer bars where we could hang out

And yes, some did cut us off when they needed to.

The best part was having somewhere to go. We don't give kids this age anything else to do anymore. If we aren't going to let them into bars, we should at least have some clubs where they can go.

[TheMightyFavog]

30. Not to mention from what I heard from people alive in that era...

Those beer bars provided work for countless garage bands. One could make a modest living playing the beer bar circuit.

[proud2BlibKansan]

32. Groupie here!

I started my groupie habit back in high school going to beer bars listening to local bands. :)

[DBoon]

14. I think they want to lower the age for supervised drinking

better to control who drinks how much, and to prevent people from getting behind the wheel

[LisaM]

15. And what they're drinking

We mostly drank beer - it was sanctioned, basically, the dorm supplied it.

[pnwmom]

21. This is a myth. Beer is just as much a problem among bingers, who are easily capable of

drinking ten or more cans of beer. (Though perhaps young women would prefer the lower number of calories in hard liquor.)

And ever hear of beer pong?

I'm not saying that the solution is abstinence, which obviously doesn't work. But it isn't the kind of alcohol, but the amount that matters.

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. I came of age in a state that allowed us to buy beer at age 18

and it wasn't such a great thing. I knew lots of really young kids who were on their way to becoming raging alcoholics by 19.

[Berry Cool]

38. "Beer is not as deadly as hard liquor"? There's a myth for you.

Alcohol is alcohol, whatever the form. One of the reasons people get in trouble is because they believe that stuff about how if it's "just" beer that they drink, they don't have a problem.

That's not to say anything for or against having beer at campus events. It's just saying, sticking to beer is no shield against having a drinking problem or dying of an alcohol overdose.

[pnwmom]

43. You're right -- this is a dangerous myth, because it leads people

into unsafe drinking practices. Drinking only beer or only wine doesn't help a person. avoid alcohol abuse -- it's the amount of total alcohol that matters, not the type.

[pnwmom]

17. This, unfortunately, is one of the risks of going to college,

unless you're a commuter student living with your parents.

In high school, the college-bound students drink LESS than the other students.

Among 18-22 year olds, the picture changes. Then college students drink MORE heavily than other people their age (who are presumably working at regular jobs).

[rvablue]

20. I think it has to do more with fraternities and sororities....

while many college kids can be prone to binge-drinking, the practice is encouraged by the Greek system.

[pnwmom]

23. My son went to a college with no frats, and there was just as much drinking

as at my daughter's school, where they did have frats. There were several bars and cheap restaurants within a couple blocks of the campus that served alcohol without checking I.D. and it was omni-present at off-campus parties.

I think the degree of the problem varies from school to school, but there is way too much binge drinking almost everywhere, if you read the research. (There is also a solid percentage of abstainers, but a smaller group of low-moderate drinkers compared to binge drinkers.)

Here's some info:

http://www.cspinet.org/booze/collfact1.htm

In 2005, about 10.8 million persons ages 12-20 (28.2% of this age group) reported drinking alcohol in the past month. Nearly 7.2 million (18.8%) were binge drinkers, and 2.3 million (6.0%) were heavy drinkers.2 More males than females ages 12-20 reported current alcohol use (28.9% vs. 27.5%), binge drinking (21.3% vs. 16.1%), and heavy drinking (7.6% vs. 4.3%).3

44% of students attending 4-year colleges drink alcohol at the binge level or greater.4

Young adults aged 18-22 enrolled full-time in college were more likely than their peers not enrolled full time to use alcohol in the past month, to binge drink, and to drink heavily.5

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

33. Or by being a theatre major

[pstokely]

45. Sounds like this kid a drinking problem to begin with

Beyond the drinking habits of a typical frat boy

Guess he never saw this Centron short, filmed near KU

http://www.archive.org/details/WhatAbou1954

[proud2BlibKansan]

25. That's interesting.

Makes sense.

[pnwmom]

29. Here's a link. College students are more likely to drink to excess than others their age.

And it's a much bigger issue than when we were in school.

http://www.cspinet.org/booze/collfact1.htm


In 2005, about 10.8 million persons ages 12-20 (28.2% of this age group) reported drinking alcohol in the past month. Nearly 7.2 million (18.8%) were binge drinkers, and 2.3 million (6.0%) were heavy drinkers.2 More males than females ages 12-20 reported current alcohol use (28.9% vs. 27.5%), binge drinking (21.3% vs. 16.1%), and heavy drinking (7.6% vs. 4.3%).3

44% of students attending 4-year colleges drink alcohol at the binge level or greater.4 Young adults aged 18-22 enrolled full-time in college were more likely than their peers not enrolled full time to use alcohol in the past month, to binge drink, and to drink heavily.5

48% of college drinkers report that ‘drinking to get drunk’ is an important reason for drinking. Almost 1 in 4 drink alcohol 10 or more times a month and 29% report being intoxicated 3 or more times per month.6

Binge drinkers consumed 91% of all alcohol that college students reported drinking, while 68% of alcohol was consumed by frequent binge drinkers.7

College students who first became intoxicated before age 19 are more likely to be alcohol dependent and frequent heavy drinkers. These younger drinkers are also more likely to report driving after drinking, riding with a driver who was drinking or drunk, and sustaining injuries after drinking alcohol that required medical attention.8

SNIP

[rvablue]

40. I think your kid was in a frat or sorority by your adament defense...

you shouldn't have funded it or allowed it.

The "greed system" is awful.

[pnwmom]

42. People who think alcohol on campus is limited to frats are in serious denial.

Neither of my college-aged children has been involved in a frat or sorority. I never belonged to one and I wouldn't have encouraged them to join one either.

"Adamant defense?" I'm not defending frats at all -- just saying that almost all colleges (with the exception of a few fundie schools) have a high percentage of students who are not only drinkers, but binge drinkers. It's a large and national problem, which you would see if you read the statistics. Every parent of a college student should be concerned.

[Avalux]

19. Sad. He probably aspirated after he passed out.

When heavily impaired, a person doesn't respond to normal triggers to cough to expel vomit/fluid. Stuff gets inhaled into the lungs and death is common. :-( All parents should warn their children of this when consuming large amounts of alcohol.

[New Dawn]

34. The drinking age needs to be lowered to 18. Schools can then teach youth to drink in moderation.

[hedgehog]

37. You mean the same way schools teach kids not to have sex before marriage

and to "just say no" to drugs?




I think the differences between social drinkers, binge drinkers and alcoholics are very complicated and subtle. You can find all three in the same family, so we're dealing with varying functions of people's genetics, the way they were raised and the social groups they run around with.


As a side note, ever hear the joke about the judge with three juvenile delinquents in front of him who was told by each lawyer that his client was a good boy but misbehaved under the influence of the other two?

I guess if I wanted to use a broad brush, I think the most important thing is to make kids aware of their individual responsibility to take care of themselves!

[pnwmom]

44. Yes, a subtle and complicated situation -- the hardest to solve. n/t

[Fumesucker]

41. Good thing pot is illegal..

We would have a lot more deaths on campus if the students were doing reefer in the bongs instead of beer..

:sarcasm: for those with poorly calibrated sarcasmometers.

"Kids have got to understand alcohol is the worst."

How can they understand that when alcohol is legal and available in almost any convenience store while everything else, including the almost infinitely more safe marijuana, is illegal?

The legality of alcohol strongly implies that it is safer than all the illegal drugs and that is definitely not the case.