The Effects Of Alcoholism Among College Students

Alcoholism Amongst College Students

College is a time of trying new things. For the most part, it’s the first time young adults are living off on their own and away from parental guidance. Most of the students can handle this new lifestyle. Some take a while to adjust to the conditions of their new environment. And for others, this new experience can be too much for them. Suddenly they are thrown into close living quarters with people from other areas, even other countries. They’re surrounded by different personalities and different habits. Some of those habits include drugs and drinking. Alcoholism amongst college students is a growing epidemic. I will examine the causes of alcoholism in students and examine the effects it has on health.

Alcoholism can be broadly defined as any drinking of alcohol that results in problems. This is why the drinking that takes place in college can be considered alcoholism instead of just binge drinking. Binge drinking in college is actually alcoholism because it leads to many problems. These problems include mental and physical health problems, injury, death, destruction of property, and sexual assault.

Studies show that one cause of alcoholism in college students can be due to a family history of alcohol abuse. In a study conducted from 2005-2006 amongst four hundred and eight college students, the students were asked to complete an anonymous survey for course credit over their drinking habits. The study found that there was an overall prevalence of students with drinking problems who have paternal history, the percentage being 65.9%. Students who had no family history of alcoholism had a percentage of 29.1% (Capone and Wood 1). This study does not conclude that all students with drinking probl...

... middle of paper ...

... the dorms at around 2 in the morning after the party was shut down by the unlucky owners of the house. The students are completely belligerent and destructive. The hallways are strewn with food and missing articles of clothing. The bathrooms are covered in a mixture of bodily fluids and dirt that was tracked in from outside. The students are loud and disorderly until they catch word of the resident advisors doing rounds. Then they disappear into dorm rooms, but continue being loud and destructive.

Binge drinking and alcoholism takes thousands of lives and maims countless others in college. Its causes can be anything from family history to stress from school. The effects it has are countless. This is a problem all across the world, not just in America. The world has become accustomed to a party culture, which has skewed traditional boundaries regarding alcoholism.