Attending college is typically a stressful time for an American student. Going to college places a lot of stress and emotional burden on students due to massive amounts of coursework, looming tuition bills, extracurricular activities, jobs, moving away from home for the first time, and maintaining a sufficient sleep schedule. Major stress and anxiety can lead to more serious consequences, such as the choice to heavily consume alcohol, which yields detrimental physiological and psychological effects. Alcohol is an addictive substance, which makes treatment for addiction a high priority. There need to be more adequate resources for prevention and intervention available to students who struggle with managing stress, anxiety, and addiction to alcohol; …show more content…
According to Advokat, et al., addiction is neurobiological. Addiction is a direct result from an overabundance of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the reward circuit of the brain. The reward circuit extends from the ventral tegmental area to brain structures like the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, and nucleus accumbens. Natural reinforcers such as music, food, and exercise, modestly activate the reward system. However, drugs like alcohol activate the pathway much more intensely and directly. This more intense stimulation is strongly correlated with addiction (Advokat et al. 99-100). While some people may not become addicted to alcohol, other users can. Advokat, et al. hypothesize that people with a lower amount of dopamine receptors are more likely to be predisposed to addiction than people with a healthy number of receptors (99-102). Furthermore, addiction has genetic causes as well. In 1990, researchers identified a gene named DRD2 (the “pleasure-seeking” gene) that is implicated in alcoholism. Only 10% of Americans have the “pleasure-seeking” gene, but 50% of alcoholics have the gene (Noble …show more content…
For example, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program teaches young students about alcohol and the consequences of heavy consumption. However, recent studies suggest that not only is D.A.R.E. ineffective, but it may even be counterproductive. A study in Houston, Texas reports a 29% increases in drug usage from students enrolled in the program compared to students who attend schools that do not offer D.A.R.E. The Research Triangle Institute (RTI) reported similar findings at a research conference, but people from D.A.R.E. allegedly threatened the RTI in order to keep the findings from being published (Hanson). D.A.R.E may be ineffective because of its mostly abstinence-based education. Drinking is linked with social norms, and college students often drink to feel accepted. Hanson argues that, “the vast majority of young people greatly exaggerate in their minds the quantity and frequency of drinking among their peers. Therefore, they tend to drink -- or drink more -- than they would otherwise, in an effort to fit in,” (Hanson). From Hanson’s model, abstinence-educate may not be effective, but education on the social norms of drinking may better prepare students for the college-drinking culture. Campaigns such as the RU SURE program may be so effective because they offer help to students
Satel says, “Addiction does indeed discriminate, it chooses those who are bad at delaying gratification” (2). Those who simply cannot resist the instant relief or euphoria are more likely to become addicts. Addiction also preys on those who do not possess the proper skills for gauging consequences. Those suffering from this trait are unable to look ahead at the true horror that awaits them at the end of the long dark tunnel. Another trait that increases the risk of addiction is impulsivity. Impulsive people have issues controlling themselves, and they often make quick decisions that were not through. Impulsivity characteristics often go hand in hand with the previously stated traits, making it one of the hardest to overcome. While personality traits may be genetic or just how we are predisposed, drug use often alters ones entire being, including these traits. So, who is to say if the traits listed above were not birthed from the very womb of drug use itself.
Volkows, N. D., & Muenke, M. (2012). Human Genetics. The genetics of addiction, Vol 131(6), 773-777. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00439-012-1173-3
“80 percent of teen-agers have tried alcohol, and that alcohol was a contributing factor in the top three causes of death among teens: accidents, homicide and suicide” (Underage, CNN.com pg 3). Students may use drinking as a form of socializing, but is it really as good as it seems? The tradition of drinking has developed into a kind of “culture” fixed in every level of the college student environment. Customs handed down through generations of college drinkers reinforce students' expectation that alcohol is a necessary ingredient for social success. These perceptions of drinking are the going to ruin the lives of the students because it will lead to the development alcoholism. College students who drink a lot, while in a college environment, will damage themselves mentally, physically, and socially later in life, because alcohol adversely affects the brain, the liver, and the drinkers behavior.
College student drunkenness is far from new and neither are college and university efforts to control it. What is new, however, is the potential to make real progress on this age-old problem based on scientific research results. New research-based information about the consequences of high-risk college drinking and how to reduce it can empower colleges and universities, communities, and other interested organizations to take effective action. Hazardous drinking among college students is a widespread problem that occurs on campuses of all sizes and geographic locations. A recent survey of college students conducted by the Harvard University School of Public Health reported that 44 percent of respondents had drunk more than five drinks (four for women) consecutively in the previous two weeks. About 23 percent had had three or more such episodes during that time. The causes of this problem are the fact that students are living by themselves no longer with parents or guardians; they earn their own money; students need to be a part of a group, be accepted; and they have the wrong idea that to feel drunk is “cool.”
Addiction, like other diseases, has the tendency to be genetic. “Addictive drugs induce adaptive changes in gene expression in the brain’s reward regions” (Bevilacqua and Goldman 359–361). The disease is also influenced by environmental conditions and behavior. Addiction genes can be passed down through family members of many generations. If one has addiction in their genes tries a drug and someone who does not have addiction in their genes and tries the same drug, it is more likely that the person with the gene will become addicted over the one without. Environmental conditions can also be a factor because someone’s lifestyle could contribute to addiction. Factors such as stress and peer pressure can influence drug or alcohol abuse. Behavior can also contribute to addiction because if a person’s attitude is obsessive and they have an addictive personality, they could become addicted to a substance. In “Addiction is Not a Disease” Daniel Akst explains actual diseases are Alzheimer’s and Schizophrenia, not addiction. For example, Akst mentions that “addicts tend to quit when the going gets hard” (Akst.) He also clarifies that addicts have the choice to have that extra drink or those extra pills every
Genetics predispose an individual to having an increased chance of becoming codependent upon drugs or alcohol. Studies of twins and of families that are prone to addiction suggest that about 50% of the risk for drug addiction is genetically based (EBSCOhost). One well-characterized relationship between genes and alcoholism is the result of variation in the liver enzymes that metabolize alcohol (NIH). The result of the liver breaking down the alcohol faster is a higher tolerance. Individuals with a higher tolerance to alcohol, need to drink more than the average person in order to seek the same biological effect. When heavy drinkers suddenly stop or significantly reduce their alcohol consumption, the neurotransmitters prev...
Alcoholism is an illness that is directly associated with persistent and excessive use of alcoholism (Mascott). According to Cunha, there is not a well-established cause for alcoholism but however there is a growing evidence for it being genetic. Recent research, believe that a gene (D2 dopamine receptor gene) that, when inherited in a specific form, might increase a person's chance of developing alcoholism. There are also a variety of elements that may trigger to the problem of alcoholism such as the environment around there such as family members, peers and availability of alcohol. Alcoholism is the physical and mental addiction to alcohol (Right Diagnosis).
According to a national survey conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “almost 60 percent of college students ages 18–22 drank alcohol in the past month, 1 and almost 2 out of 3 of them engaged in binge drinking during that same timeframe” (NIH). Binge drinking culture refers to the recent rise and normalization of college age students drinking excessively. The CDC describes binge drinking as “a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol level to 0.08grams within two hours” (CDC). For many young adults, college is one of the first times they will experience complete freedom. This freedom often leads to partying, which goes hand in hand with the consumption of alcohol. However, since the age at which
It has been stated in each research source that hazing and particularly binge drinking is the most serious problem affecting social life, academic life, and health on college campuses today. The journal article pertaining to this issue, How Harvard’s College Alcohol Study Can Help Your Campus Design a Campaign Against Student Alcohol Abuse (CAS: Campus Alcohol Study for short), focuses more heavily on binge drinking and prevention than it does on the Greek system itself. The authors, Wechsler, Nelson, and Weitzman, contend that binge drinking is a nationally recognized problem but has not been studied efficiently enough to warrant effective prevention plans. The purpose of this article is to share with the public the results of a survey representing 50,000 students in 140 colleges, in 39 states. This is the first nationally representative survey of its kind and the analysis of its outcome by the authors of this article has resulted in seemingly sound prevention ideas. To begin interpreting the binge drinking phenomenon, a solid understanding of the term must be presented. Binge drinking is defined by all the articles as consuming five or more drinks in rapid succession (four or more for women) at least once in a two week period. Shockingly, the College Alcohol Study (CAS) found that two out of every five college students binge drink. The authors of this article argue that binge drinking has negative effects not only on the drinkers, but also on the entire student body. The binge drinker might get alcohol poisoning, other related physical injuries, or weakened academic performance, while the non-binging students are subjected to insults, arguments, vandalism, physical and sexual assaults, and loss of sleep due to alcohol influenced peers. The next topic that the article gets into is the different areas that change need be made to lessen the presence of binge drinking and ways in which these changes might be made. The first idea presented is that simply educating students about alcohol abuse and related problems is not effective. The CAS shows that four out of five students have been exposed to anti-alcohol education and still two out of these five binge drink, let alone drink at all. In fact, Wechsler, Nelosn, and Weitzman state that most members of predominant binge drinking groups like athletes and Greek organizations openly admit to being educated in this area. These findings display how ineffective alcohol education on college campuses is.
For several decades the matter of addiction has been disputed, many believe it to be self-inflicted, while others believe it is genetically driven. Researchers are currently proving the former incorrect, as they are coming closer to pinpointing the gene that is associated with addiction, more specifically alcoholism. Children of alcoholics are more susceptible to become addicts because of their genetic makeup.
Binge or excessive drinking is the most serious problem affecting social life, health, and education on college campuses today. Binge or excessive drinking by college students has become a social phenomena in which college students do not acknowledge the health risks that are involved with their excessive drinking habits. Furthermore college students do not know enough about alcohol in general and what exactly it does to the body or they do not pay attention to the information given to them. There needs to be a complete saturation on the campus and surrounding areas, including businesses and the media, expressing how excessive drinking is not attractive and not socially accepted.
It is important to consider how addiction to drugs begins. “Genetics accounts for approximately half of an individual’s vulnerability to addiction, including effects of the environment on gene function and expression” (Volkow). This basically means that once a person is exposed to drugs, they are more likely to become addicted to drugs after that exposure if their genes make them more vulnerable to addiction. Consequently, not every person who is exposed to drugs will develop an addiction because they do not have the genetic make-up that makes them an addictive person, meaning that: “…predisposing genes interact with [exposure to drugs] and other environmental factors to create vulnerability” (Volkow). People cannot change their genetic make-up to prevent themselves from becoming addicted to drugs. They can only limit their exposure to a drug filled...
Humans are environmentally and genetically predisposed to developing a motivated addictive behavior. Addiction is a brain disease and a behavior. All behaviors are choices. Choices that adolescences make at a young age directly affect the outcomes of their futures. Many factors contribute to an adolescence becoming an addict or exhibiting a drug seeking behavior. Nearly all drugs of abuse increase dopamine release. Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter in drug abuse and addiction. Dopamine plays a role in reward motivated behaviors, motor control and important hormones. It’s known as the “feel good hormone” which is why people abuse drugs that increase the release of dopamine. Since life is unpredictable, our brains have evolved the ability to remodel themselves in response to our experiences. The more we practice an activity the more neurons developed in order to fine-tune that activity causing addictive behaviors to be detrimental.
Out-groups, non-drinkers, do not fit into the in-groups because they do not partake in those acts. “Students who enter college determined to remain non-drinkers often give into peer pressure in order to become a part of the in-group” (Borsari & Carey, 2001). The experience of feeling like an out-group is prevalent in freshmen college students. Freshmen are highly at risk for alcohol consumption because they are adapting to the college lifestyle and attempting to develop new friendships (Bosari & Carey, 2001). Freshmen and non-drinkers will give in to peer pressure in hopes to be socially accepted and have a successful transition to college.
Drug addiction is a very big problem in today’s society. Many people have had their lives ruined due to drug addiction. The people that use the drugs don’t even realize that they have an addiction. They continue to use the drug not even realizing that their whole world is crashing down around them. Drug addicts normally lose their family and friends due to drug addiction.