College Drinking
COLLEGE DRINKING: SOCIOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW
Alcohol – one of the most misused drugs today – is one of the most popular and readily available of all types found on contemporary college and university campuses. Waking in a stupor after the previous night 's party, missing classes, falling behind and ultimately losing whatever funding may have accompanied one 's higher education is but one representation of how drugs can detrimentally impact one 's college experience. Many students think college is just one big party now that they are on their own at school; however, the soiree does not last long once parents find out the extent to which their adult children have detrimentally impacted their scholastic rating by skipping class, failing to complete assignments and generally neglecting their responsibilities. For example, the marriage between alcohol consumption and college life have long been accepted as the norm within the confines of campus existence; however, this decade has marked a period in time when violent outbreaks and campus riots are being attributed more and more to the overindulgence of alcohol, rendering it illegal on several major university grounds. Even though such alcohol restrictions represent a potential answer to the problem, they are also causing even more riotous behavior inasmuch as students contend their rights are being violated by the limitation. The issue at hand is not casual social drinking but a phenomenon known as binge drinking. Adolescents and young adults who choose to imbibe do so without considering the detrimental effects of such heavy consumption, rendering them volatile and defiant when authorities are summoned to calm down a situation that has become out of hand. "Binge drinking is dangerous; it 's a problem to protest, not a right to defend" (Anonymous, 1998, p. 26A). The 1990 's have heralded in a new kind of college student who does not take kindly to authority figures, frequently utilizing alcohol as the
Alcohol – one of the most misused drugs today – is one of the most popular and readily available of all types found on contemporary college and university campuses. Waking in a stupor after the previous night 's party, missing classes, falling behind and ultimately losing whatever funding may have accompanied one 's higher education is but one representation of how drugs can detrimentally impact one 's college experience. Many students think college is just one big party now that they are on their own at school; however, the soiree does not last long once parents find out the extent to which their adult children have detrimentally impacted their scholastic rating by skipping class, failing to complete assignments and generally neglecting their responsibilities. For example, the marriage between alcohol consumption and college life have long been accepted as the norm within the confines of campus existence; however, this decade has marked a period in time when violent outbreaks and campus riots are being attributed more and more to the overindulgence of alcohol, rendering it illegal on several major university grounds. Even though such alcohol restrictions represent a potential answer to the problem, they are also causing even more riotous behavior inasmuch as students contend their rights are being violated by the limitation. The issue at hand is not casual social drinking but a phenomenon known as binge drinking. Adolescents and young adults who choose to imbibe do so without considering the detrimental effects of such heavy consumption, rendering them volatile and defiant when authorities are summoned to calm down a situation that has become out of hand. "Binge drinking is dangerous; it 's a problem to protest, not a right to defend" (Anonymous, 1998, p. 26A). The 1990 's have heralded in a new kind of college student who does not take kindly to authority figures, frequently utilizing alcohol as the
References: Albert, Alexa & Ramstad, Yngve (1998, March). The concordance of George Herbert Mead 's "social self" and John R Anonymous (1998, May). Student drinking: Guess what fuels college uprisings in the 1990s? The Dallas Morning News, 26A. Eitzen, D. Stanley (1996, July). The paradox of sport: The Contradictory Lessons Learned Kirkpatrick, Jean, Ph.D. (1999). Women & Addiction. Retrieved October 7, 2003, from http://www.womenforsobriety.org/index.html Lowe, H.F October 7, 2003, from http://psy.ucsd.edu/~hflowe/socio.htm Parfitt, Mark (1998, July) Stockwell, Jaime (2001). Rioting: The New Rage? Retrieved October 7, 2003, from http://www.student.com/article/riots