This paper aims to discuss both the scope of binge drinking on the campuses of America’s colleges and universities and techniques used to combat it. At the same time America has managed to keep the same percentage of its students from drinking entirely for the last five years, binge drinking has been on the rise (Thompson, J.J. 63). While 49 percent of college students binge, only 28 percent of their non-college counterparts do (McCormick, John; Kalb, Claudia 89), clearly illustrating the divide that exists between students and non-students. These figures are upsetting in that one would expect universities to be the breeding ground for new leaders and innovative thinkers in society while these figures make today’s college campuses look like nothing more than National Lampoon’s Animal House- a drunken debauchery. Consider these facts: For women, this study found that 80% of sorority house residents had binged during the last 2 weeks prior to this study compared with 58% of non-resident sorority women, and 35% of non-Greek women.
People as young as fifteen are able to get their hands on an alcoholic beverage. Alcohol is said to be the chosen drug among high school and college students. Underage drinkers have a tendency to drink more then the general population. It is said that high school students spend approximately $4.2 billion annually on alcohol. This money is spent on 430 gallons of alcoholic beverages, and 4 million cans of beer.
Alcohol abuse is one of the biggest issues on college campuses nationwide, but what is it that makes excessive alcohol consumption such a concern in the year 2003? Excessive alcohol consumption is often known as binge drinking. Binge drinking is defined as the consumption of at least five or more alcoholic beverages for men and four or more alcoholic beverages for women in a row on a given occasion (2). Studies show that in addition to the forty-four percent of college students who binge drink, one third of high school seniors also admit to having binged at least once in the two weeks prior to being surveyed. The greatest question posed, is why does such a destructive activity appeal in particular to this age group?
This research paper seeks to better understand certain predictors to college binge drinking. I will specifically focus on college students in Wisconsin and California. Having attended higher education in both states, I want to understand why Wisconsin has such a higher rate of college binge drinkers than California. Introduction: Binge drinking and the ensuing problems associated with its use are considered to be the number one public health problem affecting college students today (Nelson 2005). Excessive alcohol consumption is associated with many undesirable health and social consequences for individuals who chose to partake in such behavior, and accounts for approximately $184 billion in overall economic costs in the United States annually (Nelson 2005).
The literature on college binge drinking is through various surveys and focus groups which have assisted administrators in implementing program(s) for college students; in which will be used for continued analysis (College Drinking, 2005). Alcohol Use When college student(s) consume alcohol excessively; this is a widely present issue with various potential consequences, both academically and personal, for an indefinite number of students. Through college student demonstrations; its findings have been reported that two-thirds of all student(s) have admitted to alcohol consumption within the past month (O’Malley & Johnston, 2002). Pertaining to such students, more than half admit to binge drinking two weeks earlier. Binge drinking is defined as person(s) consuming alcohol with the direct intention of becoming inebriated by drinking heavily over a short period of time.
Drinking alcohol has become a large part of college environments and it can range from a simple glass of wine in a dorm room to a keg stands at a house party. By lowering the drinking age to eighteen it would be easier to combat the problem of binge drinking in college students in Iowa City and the troubles that arise from it. Binge drinking is defined as the consumption of alcohol that raises a person’s blood alcohol concentration in a short amount of time. It is not only bad for your body, but is also highly dangerous. This usually means five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women in a two hour time span.
Gallaudet University has 276 drug violations and 5 arrests while the alcohol violations were 213 with 0 arrests. Greek organizations and athletes are more likely to drink and do drugs more often. Literature Review There are various factors that have an effect on drug use: parenting styles, availability of drugs, emotional reasons, athletic involvement, and the Greek system (Brousseau & Baron, 2008). College students use drugs (including alcohol) for different reasons. A study was done on students at Seattle University to determine drug exposures.
Bibliography: Refrences Drinking: A Students Guide. (March 20, 2001). [On-line], Avialable: www.glness.com/ndhs/ Marcus, D. (March 27, 2000). Drnking To Get Drunk. U.S. News & World Report [On-line], Available: www2.gasou.edu/library/ (Galileo)(EBSCOhost)(Search=Alcohol Abuse).
<http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=11275325&db=aph>. Weitzman, Elissa R. “Social Developmental Overview of Heavy Episodic or Binge Drinking Among U.S. College Students.” Psychiatric Times 21.2 (Feb 2004): 57-60. Academic Search Premier EBSCO. Roesch Library, Dayton. 26 March 2004.
One of the most astounding statistics that we found online was more than 150,000 students a year develop a health related problem caused by alcohol consumption, but the problems don’t stop at illness. Additionally, 1.5 percent of college students admit to attempting suicide within the past year due to binge drinking and drug use. Binge drinking is clearly a problem all over the country at college campuses and needs to be better understood and prevented. We are sending our young people to these establishments to get an education not to drink themselves to death. Our initial hypothesis that there would be an inverse correlation between alcohol consumption and degree rigorousness and validity was