Here are some ways an AOD-related offense may affect future opportunities:
- Arrest records are permanent, even if the student attends a diversion class.
- For students in education, aviation, nursing, pharmacy, and some other fields. . .Even a minor alcohol violation may impact certification or licensure.
- For students applying to graduate or other professional schools. . .Admissions offices often call the University to see if there are any conduct issues on students' permanent records.
- For students seeking a job with the Department of Defense or other governmental agencies. Those agencies conduct security checks on applicants.
Students may also experience:
- lower salaries at less prestigious companies
- loss of driving privileges
- loss or reduction of income or savings as a result of legal representation and payment of fines and fees imposed by the court and/or loss of personal freedom through imprisonment
Even if no conviction results, the situation can be inconvenient, embarrassing and costly.
How does high-risk drinking impact college students?
- Death: 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes
- Injury: 599,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol
- Assault: More than 696,000 students between 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking
- Sexual Abuse: More than 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape
- Unsafe Sex: More than 100,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex
- Academic Problems: About 25% of college students report academic consequences of their drinking which include missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall
- Health Problems/Suicide Attempts: More than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem and between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use
- Drunk Driving: 3,360,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 drove under the influence of alcohol last year
- Vandalism: About 11% of college student drinkers report that they have damaged property while under the influence of alcohol
- Police Involvement: About 5% of 4-year college students are involved with the police or campus security as a result of their drinking and an estimated 110,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are arrested for alcohol-related violations such as public drunkenness or driving under the influence
- Alcohol Abuse & Dependence: According to questionnaire-based self-reports about their drinking, 31% of college students met criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse and 6% for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence in the last 12 months