Moldy Peaches

Or, I like to have my fun.

These are just a couple of slogans in the running for Spring Break motos.

On International Women's Day, however, the American Medical Association is calling for a sober second thought to female Spring Break activities. In other words, think before you drink, plan before you tan and bag before you shag.

The Association conducted a national online survey of 644 women age 17 - 35 who currently attend college, graduated from college or attended, but did not graduate from college within the United States were surveyed.

The findings are NOT surprising, but are troubling. The key findings according to the survey are:

A majority (74 percent) of respondents said women use drinking as an excuse for outrageous behavior.

More than half of women (57 percent) agree being promiscuous is a way to fit in.

An overwhelming majority (83 percent) of women had friends who drank the majority of the nights while on spring break.

More than half (59 percent) know friends who were sexually active with more than one partner.

Nearly three out of five women know friends who had unprotected sex during spring break.

One in five respondents regretted the sexual activity they engaged in during spring break, and 12 percent felt forced or pressured into sex.

An overwhelming majority (84 percent) of respondents thought images of college girls partying during spring break may contribute to an increase in females' reckless behavior.

An even higher percentage (86 percent) agreed these images may contribute to dangerous behaviors by males toward women.

The two most interesting findings were actually these:

Almost all (92 percent) said it was easy to get alcohol while on spring break. My question is this - where are the other 8 percent vacationing? Salt Lake City? The Vatican?

Two out of five women agreed access to free or cheap alcohol or a drinking age under age 21 were important factors in their decision to go on a spring break trip. So, 40 percent of women plan their vacation on cheap drinks and the drinking age but yet Canada doesn't see a real spike in prolonged tourists. Do the authors not think another ingredient in the equation would be the SUN?

The AMA should be commended for their study, however, they clearly face an uphill public relations battle.

Kathleen Fitzgerald, a 21-year-old junior at Illinois State University, said the AMA's effort to raise awareness is a good idea, but probably won't do much to curb drinking during spring break. In othe words, Girls Gone Wild t-shirts will continue to rule the day.

"I think a lot of students wouldn't really pay that much attention to it," Fitzgerald said. "They would just be like, `Duh, that's why we do it.'"