A new student campaign highlighting the consequences of embarrassing nights out has launched in DCU.
The campaign is being run by drinkaware.ie, and it features images of students passed-out drunk on the toilet floor.
On Thursday, October 25th, life-size vinyls of an unconscious young man and woman were found on the floors of the bathrooms in The Hub, accompanied by a poster showing hundreds of Facebook ‘likes’.
The campaign was aimed at showing students that an embarrassing night out can live on forever due to social media, with the poster reading “What happens here doesn’t stay here. Pace yourself”.
Speaking about the campaign, drinkaware.ie Chief Executive Fionnuala Sheehan described the response from students as “very positive”, with many students admitting that it made them stop and think about their drinking.
“We first launched these floor vinyls in 2010 as part of a pilot scheme. On a night out, students wil invariably pay a visit to the bathroom. It is here, away from the party atmosphere, that you often start to really notice the effects of alcohol.
“The floor vinyls are a reminder to students that this could be how their night will end if they drink irresponsibly and don’t pace themselves.
“The inclusion of ‘likes’ in the accompanying poster is another reminder that with the increasing popularity of social media, images such as these don’t get left in the bathroom.”
But Ms Sheehan stressed that being ‘drink aware’ isn’t at odds with having a vibrant student life.
“Recent studies have shown that although Irish people drink less often than our European counterparts, we do tend to drink too much and too fast when we do.
“Slowing down and pacing yourself – having food and water between drinks, for example – allows you to enjoy the night’s events for longer, and to wake up feeling refreshed and hydrated the next day”.
The floor vinyls will be rolled out in several other colleges across the country as part of this nationwide campaign, including Waterford Institute of Technology, the University of Limerick and Cork Institute of Technology.
Speaking about the campaign, Neil Collins, Welfare Officer of DCU Students’ Union, said he was “thrilled” to see drinkaware. ie apply their campaign in DCU as he believes it tackles every issue around student life.
“The vinyls are really attention-grabbing, and send a strong message about responsible drinking. The posters also remind students that, thanks to Facebook, everyone can end up finding out about a bad night out.”
Cian Murray
Leave a Reply