Argumentative Essay On Binge Drinking

Yi Yang

Instructor: Randall L. Arthur

English 20

4/15/14

Binge Drinking is Poisoning College Students The problem of binge drinking, especially among college students, is an important issue that must be solved as soon as possible. “Too Many Colleges are Still in Denial about Alcohol Abuse” by Wechsler et al. and “the Battle of the Binge” by Jack Hitt focus on a similar point relating to binge drinking. Supported by reliable surveys and rigorous analysis, “Too Many Colleges are Still in Denial about Alcohol Abuse” illustrates how binge drinking does harm to college students and proposes a feasible solution to it from the perspective of college officials. On the other hand, Jack Hitt displays the alcohol-related damages by recalling what he

Although some colleges haven’t realized its gravity, “the recent national surveys of college students’ drinking that we conducted for Harvard University’s School of Public Health documented that alcohol is still rife” (Wechsler et al. 336). This situation is also verified by Hitt’s own experience that his professor even bought beer for his students at the pub in “the Battle of the Binge”; hence one can speculate the popularity of binge drinking and people’s unawareness on the issue.

Additionally, “excessive drinking is not a new problem, on campus or in the society the campus reflects” (Wechsler et al. 336). Rome is not built in one day; the culture of binge drinking among colleges has also been cultivated from many decades ago. The phenomenon can also be demonstrated in “the Battle of the Binge”; Hitt picked up binge drinking almost a decade ago. What’s worse, the bad habits can be passed through generation to generation if drunkards don’t realize it is a really bad behavior. Some alumni who are binge drinker at college will possibly indulge their children with alcohol

Due to the boring college life, many students choose binge drinking as a way to get relaxed and have fun with good friends, but this strategy is something like drinking poison to quench thirst. Drunk driving, fighting and unprotected sex are common consequences from binge drinking. “Because of lethal sexually transmitted disease, the easy availability of weapons, and roads filled with high-speed automobiles, the consequences of alcohol abuse are much more deadly today” (Wechsler et al. 337). It is not exaggerating according to Hitt’s nephew’s description that two students died and five were seriously injured owing to binge drinking, in “the Battle of the Binge”. These accidents happened in a college with roughly 1300 students; comparing to normal mortality rate, 7 out of 1300 should be high enough to attract the attention of the society. Wechsler et al. also demonstrate the existence of the problems caused by binge drinking by conducting a survey, which ultimately shows a strong relationship between the frequency of binge drinking and alcohol-related problems. What’s worse, like second-hand cigarettes, non-drinking students in a college with large portion of binge drinkers are more likely to be victims of alcohol-related problems, and the phenomenon can be defined as second-hand binge