“Oh, you’re from Santa Barbara, so how are Halloween and Deltopia there?”
Unfortunately, this is the reaction most young adults get when they share with people who aren’t locals that they are from Santa Barbara.
For people under the age of 30, Santa Barbara has become synonymous with partying in Isla Vista.
Our claim to fame with this generation is not our beautiful beaches, not our stunning mountains, not the impressive programs University of California Santa Barbara has to offer—but the intoxicated wasteland where some well-known partying among primarily college students occurs.
This year, 15 to 18 thousand people, the majority being from outside Santa Barbara, attended a celebration known as Deltopia, where young people put on bathing suits, walk down Del Playa Drive and go from one party to the next—and drink.
Deltopia used to be held at the beach, however since 2009 Santa Barbara County officials have not allowed this due to the environmental hazards inflicted upon the beaches from this celebration which used to be called Floatopia as party-goers would bring along their flotation devices.
However, this year Deltopia had some unfortunate incidents that were so chaotic they even caused our lovely Santa Barbara to make national news.
An 18-year-old from Cal poly San Luis Obispo, Gisele Esme Ayala, was found dead; four people were taken to the hospital when a balcony overlooking Del Playa gave out; 23 arrests were made for offenses including thefts, public intoxication, fights, assaults and sexual battery; 71 citations were counted; Santa Barbara Fire Department responded to over 70 calls; and 44 people were hospitalized because of excessive alcohol consumption or injuries.
Law enforcement responded to 440 calls related to Deltopia.
Binge drinking refers to excessive alcohol consumption in a short period of time.
Overindulgent alcohol use is the third leading lifestyle-related cause of death for people in the United States.
Why is it that people feel the need to drink until they can hardly stand up or until it becomes dangerous?
According to The New York Times, one out of every six Americans goes on a drinking binge four times a month, which is drinking around eight alcoholic beverages on one occasion.
The Center for Disease Control says 28 percent of Americans ages 18 to 24 binge drink an average of four days a month, consuming on average 9.3 drinks in a few hours.
The U.S. has one of the highest alcohol abuse rates in the world, and it is especially a problem for people under the age of 21.
According to Dr. Thomas Friendan, director of the Center for Disease Control, “About 50 percent of all the alcohol consumed by adults, and about 90 percent of all the alcohol consumed by young people is consumed during a binge drinking session.”
In Europe, people tend to consume more alcohol compared to other areas of the world, but they do not commonly drink with what fits the bounds of American “binge drinking.”
Daily Mail stated that the rate of female binge drinking in the US in particular is higher than that of any other developed country.
The US is notorious for its college parties.
American culture feeds into the idea that college students must be under the influence to have a good time. This idea is only enhanced by the media; television shows and movies constantly portray alcohol as a “fun” thing for people of all ages including underaged ones.
Alum Daria Etezadi ‘13, who currently attends Georgetown University was on campus recently to speak to students about feminism.
“Based on my experience freshman year, I haven’t come to identify alcohol as a necessity for a successful social life at Georgetown; however, depending on which social clique you’re apart of, there can be a lot of pressure to black out, in order to be accepted by your peers.”
So when somebody asks you about living in Santa Barbara make sure they are aware of all that UCSB has to offer and not the ugly reputation that it drags along with it.