A recent National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism College Task Force report indicated that drinking by college students aged 18 to 24 contributes to an estimated 1,700 student deaths, 599,000 injuries, and 97,000 cases of sexual assault or date rape each year. A Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study reports that two out of every five college students are binge drinkers (downing at least five drinks in one sitting for men, at least four drinks for women in last two weeks).

While many college students link alcohol with coming of age, this risky behavior may prevent them from ever reaching adulthood.

In past centuries and in other cultures, stages of life and meaningful events were clearly marked by rituals and ceremonies that involved the whole community. After undergoing a physical or spiritual challenge, elders imparted wisdom and told the initiate what was expected of them in adulthood. Lacking traditional initiation rites, today's young people often find ways to replicate tribal initiation. They might drink 21 shots on their 21st birthdays. They might swear allegiance to each other in clubs or gangs. Without knowing it, they are acting on an historical, maybe even a primal, need to mark change. By designing safe and symbolic rites of passage, caring adults can help young people mark the death of one life stage and the birth of the next.

While an appropriate rites of passage ceremony will not instantly turn immature, self-centered young adults into responsible citizens, it can offer reassurance that a loving community will help them as they enter a new stage of development. In this way, "becoming a man" or "becoming a woman" has everything to do with carrying forward the trust, values, and responsibilities of community and nothing to do with how many shots you can down in an hour.

We can't expect young people to kill a bear or endure a solitary wilderness quest, but we can provide a safe environment in which they can address fears, ask questions, or garner support as they enter a new life phase. Rites of passage also connect past to present to future. Grandparents and other elders can tell stories about growing up. One mother held an intergenerational "council of women" when her daughter graduated from college. Participants were asked to bring a poem, a story, or a special object that represented an important turning point in their lives. They took turns speaking, then the graduate spoke from her heart as a "new" person going forward in her new role. A father asked guests to bring a list of 21 things--values, wishes, hopes, or profundities--they wanted to pass on to his son on his 21st birthday.

Rites of passage can be informal or structured. They can be intimate family gatherings or community celebrations, depending on individual preference and comfort levels. They can involve a physical challenge or offer an opportunity to face a fear, like giving a speech as a part of a ceremony. They can be an important tool for alcohol abuse prevention, because they communicate trust and confidence by letting young people know we think they are mature enough to take their place in the community as responsible adults.

John and Cindy McCue, who lost their son to alcohol poisoning on his 21st birthday, urge parents to discuss 21st birthday celebration rituals with their children at http://www.brad21.org/. Their nonprofit organization also sends out 21st birthday cards to students that offer information about alcohol poisoning and remind them to celebrate responsibly. Other prevention information can be found at the NIAAA Web site at http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/.