Alcohol abuse is a serious issue on most college campuses.
As students, we are constantly bombarded with horror stories of devastation and startling statistics that come as the result. On Nov. 6, Delta Zeta hosted Mocktoberfest at Lake Claire in the hopes of bringing awareness to the negative consequences that result from excessive drinking in a new, fun way.
With all proceeds benefiting Mothers Against Drunk Driving as well as the Starkey Hearing Foundation, members of the UCF community came together to play classic tailgate games, but with water and soda. From corn hole to water pong, over 300 attendees had the chance to participate and learn about the destructive effects of excessive alcohol consumption.
One of the most popular games, pumpkin scramble, utilized Fatal Vision Impairment Goggles to simulate the effects of alcohol. According to the Fatal Vision website, the goggles are a hands-on prevention tool that allows people to experience with a sober mind what it’s like to be under the influence of alcohol. Participants experience how alcohol impairs their balance, vision, reaction time and judgment. The students were asked to arrange pumpkins in a certain order while wearing the goggles.
“It was terrifyingly scary to use the Fatal Vision Goggles. It throws off your equilibrium and you can’t even walk. Alcohol abuse is something that we have been told about time and time again. All of the horror stories about drinking and driving and the devastating effects that come from it. Mocktoberfest helped give us the facts while still being in a fun environment,” said UCF student Lauren Jacobs.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, an estimated 3,360,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 drive under the influence of alcohol. This is something that Delta Zeta philanthropy chair Victoria Quintero wants to reduce by hosting events like “Mocktoberfest”.
“With the college environment constantly revolving around alcohol, I believe this event is extremely important in order to raise awareness. We also hold Mocktoberfest to promote not drinking and driving. So many college kids think they are ‘fine to drive,’ but they are really not at all. We use the beer goggles to show that if you can’t simply put a set of pumpkins back in place, how on earth do you think that you are fine to get behind the wheel of a car?” said Quintero.
So far, Delta Zeta has raised over $1000 for M.A.D.D. and the Starkey Hearing Foundation and Victoria Quintero has high hopes for the event in the future. Overall, the event was a success as Delta Zeta member Brittany Flint affirmed.
“It is great to be able to show people that you don’t have to drink to have a good time. It is fun to see people having fun in a sober environment,” said Flint.
