It takes LessThanUThink to tackle spring break

As the aroma of sunscreen begins to fill the air, we can only guess what bathing suit or pool float students will bring on their spring break escapades this year. College students throughout the country wait tirelessly until they finally get to go on their long-awaited break from classes. Spring break for college students is like Christmas morning. It’s filled with excitement and over-priced presents or in this case — over-priced drinks.

Binge drinking increases during certain times of the year, such as spring break. That’s why students must be reminded that it takes less than they think. Enter: LessThanUThink!

LessThanUThink (LTUT) is a national anti-binge drinking campaign that focuses on using humorous messaging to inform students about the negative consequences of binge drinking. This spring, LTUT serves as a reminder to students at The University of Alabama to be safe and make smart decisions during spring break. The LTUT campaign hit three relevant points to reach college students on a personal level.

1. Spring break “bod.” As February comes to a close, students talk about sculpting the ultimate spring break body before being caught in a bathing suit. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat are flooded with images of students “working on their fitness,” like Fergie, the month before spring break. Once spring break hits, dedication to get that impeccable beach body is ruined by the amount of calories students will likely consume in one week of binge drinking. To bring this to reality, LTUT UA used jellybeans to show students the amount of calories consumed in one night of drinking. One margarita alone consists of a monstrous 550 calories. LTUT’s message: “U think you won’t get a jelly belly. And you wouldn’t.  Three drinks ago.”

2. Wait, I did what last night? The question that makes many students cringe when asking their friends as they try to remember what happened during the nights of their spring break. The over consumption of alcohol from binge drinking can result in a foggy memory. Who wants to pay a ton of money, go on spring break and not remember it? LTUT UA created T-shirts and sunglasses to encourage students to not binge drink so they can actually answer the infamous question “[h]ow was your spring break?” LTUT’s message: “U think you’ll remember spring break. And you would. Three drinks ago.”

3. I’m “Irish,” so I’m lucky. On March 17, many college students suddenly believe they are Irish and luck is on their side. This, plus the over consumption of alcohol, results in everyone thinking they’re the luckier than a four-leaf clover tied to a rabbit’s foot on a Leprechaun’s keychain (…just go with it).

To some college students, being lucky means being able to binge drink to excess without any consequences, but, as many of them discover, the luck of the Irish doesn’t work that way. Since St. Patty’s day is during UA’s spring break, LTUT used green 12 ounce cups with drink measurements on them to remind students that binge drinking might not make you feel so lucky. LTUT’s message: “U think you are as good as gold. And you were. Three drinks ago.”

Whether you’re going to the beach, the mountains, on a cruise or the pool in your backyard, LTUT wants you to have a fun and safe spring break. Without binge drinking, students can save themselves from a jelly belly, actually make a fabulous spring break memory and be good as gold on St. Patty’s day.

The following guest blog was authored by Rachel Uniatowski, an APR student at the University of Alabama who is also a member of Capstone Agency, which is a student-run public relations firm. Rachel is also a member of LessThanUThink, a student-generated campaign designed to address the national issue of college-age binge drinking.

*The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (Responsibility.org) or any Responsibility.org member.*