by Emily McCann

Four weeks ago I set out to write a story about the Teresian Dance and why STA students shouldn’t drink afterwards. For most girls, I believe the most stressful decision about Teresian after-parties is this: to drink or not to drink? Throughout my writing process of interviewing and researching I slowly began to realize that I could not make your decision for you.

It is a question you will have to answer on your own this weekend when you walk down into a friend’s basement and find a few cases of beer staring back at you.

The annual Teresian Dance will take place this Saturday night in the Goppert Center as a fundraiser for the Teresian yearbook. Students anticipate all the aspects of the dance from pictures, to dinner, to after-parties.

However, many of the sophomores, juniors and seniors at the dance will choose to leave as soon as the doors open at 10:30 p.m. to go to after-parties, where according to a random survey of more than 100 STA students, one in three confessed that they plan to drink alcohol. This drinking occurs largely because Teresian is a night where students gather in large numbers at parties, many unattended by adults. Some students will binge drink, defined by the United States Department of Health and Human Services as consuming five or more drinks on the same occasion.

My goal here is simply to guide you through the many reasons STA girls and other teens drink on the nights of dances. It’s hard to be one of the few who choose not to drink. Maybe reading these words will make it easier to say, “No, thanks.”

During my research I talked with one anonymous STA student who described her reaction when her friends began drinking at a Teresian after-party.

“I always knew people drank, but it was last year [after Teresian] when my group of friends started drinking,” the student said. “I was totally oblivious to it until the Teresian after party. I knew people drank at these things and I had always told myself that it was no big deal, but when I saw my friends doing it, I changed my perspective.”

I struggled to find willing sources for this story because almost every person I approached declined to comment, even anonymously. Nobody wants to tarnish their reputation with a confession that she or her friends drank underage.

According to STA counselor Amanda Johnson, students drink after dances to relax and have fun.

“I think kids drink because they can,” Johnson said. “It’s a release, and we tell them they can’t. It makes them feel older. It’s unfortunate that there are so many pressures for kids and I think this is a way of letting loose and an unhealthy outlet.”

STA alumna Lane Livers added that alcohol creates a laid-back environment.

“I think that people feel safer at after-parties so if they don’t normally drink, they may be more inclined to,” Livers said. “I feel like everyone was so laid back because we were all surrounded by close friends in a fun setting. Drinking was just a part of it.”

A student’s insecurities could cause her to drink at after-parties as well. Maybe girls feel awkward around their dates. Maybe girls are uncomfortable in the houses they are in. Maybe girls are worried that they can’t hook up with their date sober.

However, alcohol isn’t the solution to these insecurities. It is easy to convince yourself and your group that it cannot be a “successful” dance night without alcohol. But drinking that night will not make you feel more self-assured, more comfortable, or more proud the next morning when the effects of the drink have worn off.

So before you pick up the red cup Saturday night, think of yourself, your accomplishments, how hard you work. Do what you know is best for your mind, body and soul.

From one student to another, please do not drink after Teresian.