All-you-can-drink beer and all-night parties may sound like fun to students on spring break, but the American Medical Association is encouraging spring break alternatives that may save lives.

Edward Hill, AMA chair-elect, said the AMA is concerned over promotions and advertisements by beer companies and travel agencies that encourage students to binge drink while on spring break. The association is also against travel agencies pushing trips to Mexico, Jamaica and other countries where the drinking age is only 18.

“We want parents to really start thinking about this issue and bring it to everyone’s attention,” Richard Yoast, director of AMA office on alcohol and other drug abuse, said Thursday.

A survey released Thursday by the AMA said 56 percent of parents are completely unaware that tour companies market spring break emphasizing heavy drinking directly to college students by e-mail, campus advertisements and direct mail. Of those who participated in the AMA survey 91 percent of parents want those kinds of promotions to stop.

The survey also states that more than half of all college students say that great bars and a location’s reputation for wild partying are important factors in choosing a spring break destination.

The AMA is concerned that spring break and a heavy drinking atmosphere may breed rape and sexual assault, drunk driving and other alcohol related incidents.

He said he thinks parents should be aware that spring break is not just an innocent break from studies anymore, but has become marred with alcohol related death and assaults.

He said parents should “take off their blinders and see spring break for what it really is.”

The AMA hopes to curve the effects of these promotions by encouraging college campuses to emphasize alternatives like community service with Habitat for Humanity or other relaxing vacations that do not include alcohol, Yoast said.

Once students are on spring break, the AMA urges bar owners to check identification and properly train bartenders to identify people who are over served, Hill said.

The AMA singled out the Panama City Beach, Fla. Spring Break guide inserted into college newspapers nationwide that states “pay 5 bucks, and you can drink all the beer you can handle – every day.”

Russ Smith, director of spring marketing for Panama City Beach whose company puts out the insert, said, “I don’t think we are encouraging binge drinking. We are targeting a market of people who we know drink, but its not any different than bars at the local corner do.”

Yoast said that though there are definite similarities between local bars and spring break selling tactics, no matter where promotions of this kind are they endanger people.

“The problem is that there really has not been much else offered, but if students had other options we believe most of them prefer not to have a spring break like this,” he said.

Smith said his company makes sure everyone who drinks is of age and bartenders are given special training in preparation for spring break. Bartenders are taught how to check for false identifications or heavily intoxicated people.

Panama City also offers many alternative events that do not allow alcohol like wall climbing, soccer matches and volleyball games.

Todd Edmands, group sales manager for Thames Travels which offers special rates to Panama City and Dayton Beach, said he believes that there is only a small percentage of students who drink irresponsibly on spring break.

“Some students get drunk, but have fun doing it and there are some people who get out of control and are irresponsible,” he said.

Hill said that though students should be responsible for their own actions, everyone needs to take a hand in preventing alcohol related accidents and crimes.

“Unfortunately, spring break is no longer an innocent respite from the rigors of academics,” Hill said. We agree with parents that we must put an end to these promotion that target students, most of whom are underage.”