When the rich and famous party too excessively, they make headlines. They also face real-life consequences. Celebrity “it girls” Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton have been court ordered to seek substance abuse treatment after drug- or alcohol-related incidents. Lohan was also required to complete a drug-treatment program.

Non-celebrity offenders often face stricter penalties. Students whose partying gets out of hand can suffer consequences ranging from loss of financial aid to jail time.

Most colleges have stiff substance abuse policies, including zero tolerance for first offenders. The Columbia College Student Handbook states the school may “legally prosecute with criminal charges” students possessing, using or distributing illegal drugs on campus. DePaul University students are subject to school-ordered completion of an appropriate rehabilitation program and/or expulsion. Roosevelt University’s drug policy is similar to Columbia’s and DePaul’s, but that school also reserves the right to file civil charges against student offenders.

Although these stiff penalties relate to drug use, alcohol abuse also poses a host of potential problems, including the obvious danger of drinking and driving. Alcohol use increases the chances of a person committing or being the victim of violence. And underage drinking can lead to legal problems for adults present at the party.

So how do you confront a friend who has a drinking or drug problem? Drew Burns, a senior marketing and communications major at Columbia College, faced that dilemma with a friend who couldn’t remember what he had done during his drinking binges.

“I confronted him about the issues in his life,” Burns says. “It took him a while to deal with those things, and he is better now. He’s still a partier, but not as much.”

The first step is recognizing the signs of a serious partying problem. Some are obvious: Your friend wakes up with a stranger after a wild night of partying, or is unable to remember anything that happened the night before. But the biggie is denial.

“One of the hallmarks of drug and alcohol addiction is [a person’s] own ability to have insight into the fact that what they are doing is potentially dangerous,” says Dr. Matt Mills, staff psychiatrist at the Cook County Jail. “Once it becomes a problem, they try to explain away their habit as if the dangers and pitfalls that apply to others don’t apply to them.” Rationalization and denial are common defense mechanisms people use when confronted about their habits.

The answer to denial is assessment—getting the friend to take a hard look at exactly how often he or she is partying and how much of the substance in question he or she is ingesting. “Early intervention is available where you count your use and get a better idea of what could happen if you continue to use,” says Donald Hamilton, client assessor at Chicago’s Haymarket Center, a treatment facility for substance abuse.  In addition to programs for full-fledged drug abusers, the Center offers help to those who believe drugs might become a problem and for those using the gateway drug, marijuana.
For Burns, the intervention succeeded. He confronted his friend and encouraged him to face the issues that were causing him to party. Over time, he  saw the partying become less extreme. Their friendship survived, too. “It wasn’t pleasant,” Burns says of the confrontation. “But he is still my friend.”

The signs of alcohol abuse include:

• The need to drink in certain situations
• Frequent intoxication
• A steady increase in the amount of alcohol consumed
• Solitary drinking
• Early morning drinking
• Denial of drinking
• Family disruptions over drinking
• Blackouts or temporary amnesia
• Continuing to drink despite the ­consequences

The signs of drug addiction include:

• Inability to have fun without doing drugs
• Sudden changes in work or school attendance and quality of work or grades
• Borrowing or stealing money or possessions
• Angry outbursts, mood swings, irritability
• Talking incoherently or inappropriately
• Deterioration of appearance and grooming
• Wearing sunglasses and/or long sleeves when unnecessary
• Avoiding friends who don’t use drugs
• Secretiveness