Effects of Binge Drinking on College Academics

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Alcohol use among college students has always been a popular subject among teachers, parents, researchers, and even students. The actual act of drinking alcohol is not necessarily the problem, whether legal or not. The main problem is the act of binge drinking of college students, of age or not. Drinking modest amounts of alcohol may have some consequences, but binge drinking has more negative consequences than normal modest drinking. There are many examples as to the consequences that binge drinking can cause to college student’s lives, but one of the main consequences that students face as a result of frequent drinking is poor academic final grades. Binge drinking in college has been said to directly affect the GPA of college students. According to the U.S. Department of Education’s (2008), the direct correlation of grades and binge drinking is 4 drinks or less per week will result in an “A” GPA, 6 drinks per week will result in a “B” GPA, 8 drinks per week will result in a “C” GPA, and 10 drinks per week or more by a college student will more than likely to result in a “D” or an “F” GPA. Students who make a habit of their binge drinking do not prosper well in school regardless of whether or not they study, because their first priority does not happen to be school, which leads to the poor academics. According to this same study, the only way to change this type of situation is through “environmental management” which consists of “changing the physical, social, legal, and economic environment on and around campus that fosters alcohol use.” (U.S. Department of Education, 2008) Studies have shown that it is possible to predict how students will achieve academically in college based off of their high school performance an... ... middle of paper ... ...eer Effects June 2005 circ.pdf Park, A., Sher, K., & Krull, J. (2009, July 6). Risky drinking in college changes as fraternity/sorority affiliation changes: A person–environment perspective. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2706006/ Porter, S., & Pryor, J. (2007). The effects of heavy episodic alcohol use on student engagement, academic performance, and time use. Retrieved from http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_college_student_development/v048/48.4porter.html Thombs, D., Olds, R., Bondy, S., Winchell, J., Baliunas, D., & Rehm, J. (2009, september). undergraduate drinking and college performance. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2741556/ Wolaver, A. (2004, february 5). College students' binge drinking affects future earnings, bucknell economist finds. Retrieved from http://www.bucknell.edu/x30190.xml

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