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
Wright’s assumption that sororities are corrupt because of alcohol consumption is flawed since he fails to look at college students as a whole. Wright ends his article with a glimpse of Reggaefest hosted by Sigma Kappa which is considering “the last big blowout of the year before exams and the farewell of another graduating class” (557). In displaying the intoxicating students at the party, Wright entices the reader to look down on the chaotic drinking, but he fails to realize that other students outside of the Greek organization are probably partying and drinking for the same reason. Anyone is college has access to alcohol in some way or another. If students really want to drink, they will find a way. He points his finger at the Greek system, probably the largest groups on ca...
Scrivo, K. (1998, March 20). Drinking on campus. CQ Researcher, 8, 241-264. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/
Getting Serious About Eradicating Binge Drinking is an informative article by Henry Wechsler. Wechsler has worked with the College Alcohol study since its creation in 1992, and he also lectures at the School of Public Health at Harvard. In his article, Weschler discusses the prominent trend of binge drinking on college campuses and how to solve the widespread problem. Binge drinking is a term used to describe the act drinking alcoholic beverages with the intention of becoming intoxicated over a short period of time.
"Some have argued that fraternities are places where rape is likely to occur on college campuses and that the students most likely to accept rape mouths and be more sexually aggressive are more likely to live in fraternities and sororities, consume higher doses of alcohol and drugs, and place higher value on social life at college." according to the article "Fraternities and Collegiate Rape Culture: Why Are Some Fraternities More Dangerous places for Women?" written by A. Ayres Boswell and Joan Z. Spade. The article ...
“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.”
Lily, Henrietta M. and Harmon, Daniel E. Alcohol Abuse and Binge Drinking. New York: the Rosen Publishing Group Inc., 2012. Print.
Earlier studies have examined this issue of alcohol consumption and the negative peer effects among college students. Sacerdote (2001) examines peer effects in universities. He finds evidence that supports this theory that students whose roommates reported high beer consumption were more likely to replicate the same behavior. Kremer and Levy (2003) noted that peers who had a roommate that drank could potentially increase the peer’s preference for alcohol consumption. The Cooperative Institutional Research Program’s (CIRP’s) Entering Student Survey demonstrated GPA’s declining in peers whose roommates drank alcohol frequently, especially those who had in high school. The survey classified males as being especially sensitive to peer influences. Empirical data presented by Wechsler, Lee, Kuo & Lee (2000) show that alcohol use and abuse reported by 40% of university students had been binge drinking at least once within the past two weeks and it was concluded that alcohol use, and more specifically binge drinking, is a social influence by peers.
“Beyond Hangovers: Understanding Alcohol's Impact Your Health.” Bethesda, MD: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2010. Print.
We all know what it is like to wake up in the morning, with our head aching, and our body feeling like it was just hit by a train. College students world wide know this feeling. These are the results of binge drinking. The question of why college students continue to submit themselves to alcohol is unknown. While many reasons are given, the cause generally falls into one of three categories, peer pressure, insecurity, or to help solve there problems. But the one thing students don’t realize are the consequences and effects that binge drinking can have, health and social problems are just a few.
In the past few months I have learned a lot about myself. When the incident first occurred I was very angry. I know plenty of people that drink that are under age and they don’t get caught. I kept asking myself why me? At first I was hesitant to change, but the last few months have been eye opening. I have definitely used this situation to my advantage. There are so many things that I have learned about myself. I have used these last few months to really evaluate my life and set new goals for myself. I think this experience has greatly affected my life in more ways then one. I have done many things to change my life. I have seen changes in my personal life regarding my family and my friends. Many people talk about life changing experiences and how it affects them. I think that my life has changed for the good because of this incident. I’m glad that I have used this negative incident to better my life and to change the fate of my future.
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.
Wechsler, Henry and Kuo, Meichun. College Students Define Binge Drinking and Estimate Its Prevalence: Results of a National Survey. EBSCO Publishing 29 Oct. 2000
student may not attend class the day after drinking because he or she may be
This study will investigate the drinking social patterns among the enrolled undergraduate students at Texas A&M University (TAMU). This research will focus specifically on different drinking habits among the four classifications, i.e. freshman, sophomore, Junior, and Senior. I would like to know the different views TAMU undergraduate students have about the drinking habits of their peers and whether or not students believe that drinking habits have an effect on the student’s personal life.