New Jersey - College students throughout the state are getting a lesson on binge drinking while reading a comic strip.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey's (PDFNJ) award winning "Over The Limit" Comic Strip series is currently running in the student publications of nineteen New Jersey colleges and universities, where over 115,000 students see it every week. This strip was created by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey through funding from the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC).

The comic strip was created in 2000 as a unique way to get a message to college students about the dangers of binge drinking. Nationally syndicated illustrator, Robb Armstrong, illustrates the strip.

"Thanks to a grant from the New Jersey ABC, the Partnership for a Drug-Free NJ is able to make this important and innovative Pubic Service Announcement, available, free of charge to all of New Jersey's colleges and universities," explained PDFNJ's Executive Director, Angelo Valente.

"Over the Limit" follows the lives of a group of college students as they challenge binge drinking on their college campus. According to a PDFNJ survey, two-thirds of students who read their college publication could identify with the strip. Of those students 70 percent rated the strip "excellent" or "good".

"We are extremely pleased to see so many colleges and universities across the state participate in this innovative effort to combat underage drinking in New Jersey. We know that if we are to effectively address the problem of alcohol consumption by young people, we must do it through a variety of efforts that provide a balance between strong law enforcement and public awareness," said Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control Director Jerry Fischer. "This comic strip illustrates the very real, and very dangerous consequences of underage drinking, while also fostering dialogue between students about alcohol abuse."

The advertising communities of Philadelphia and New Jersey honored the strip with the Philly Gold Award and New Jersey Ad Club award. The strip is available to all four-year colleges and universities in the nation for the 2002-2003 fall and spring semesters.