The Effects Of Alcohol On College Campuses
Alcohol is known to be a phenomenon on college campuses. For social reasons, students try to fit in with what the crowds do, in this case, drinking. Drinking alcohol in college is not only illegal but dangerous. The results of drinking, especially binge-drinking, is very dangerous for students and can result in many negative consequences. Alcohol use disorders are very common in people who binge drink alcohol. Drinking alcohol can lead to sexual assault on college campuses.
Heavy drinking of alcohol on college campuses is a huge problem and can have long term negative effects on the student. Often times, movies show a sort of “party culture” that is present at universities. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines
binge drinking as “a pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels to 0.08 g/dL. This typically occurs after four drinks for women and five drinks for men—in about two hours.” There are many negative consequences associated with the binge-drinking of alcohol. According to the Addiction Center, “about 1,825 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, more than 690,000 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking, more than 97,000 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape, about 599,000 receive unintentional injuries while under the influence of alcohol, about 25 percent report academic consequences of their drinking, including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers and receiving lower grades overall, more than 150,000 develop an alcohol-related health problem, and between 1.2 and 1.5 percent indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use.” Binge-drinking can result in death, in other words over dosing. The consumption of alcohol is illegal for most college students because they are under the age of 21. Getting caught by the authorities with alcohol or under the influence of alcohol can result in 60 days in jail, 6 months probation, fines, and licence suspension. According to Water Edge Recovery, college students spend up to $5,000 per year on alcohol. The average college student spends about five hundred dollars on textbooks and supplies for their classes. A student spends nearly nine hundred dollars per year on alcohol. Avoiding alcohol is important for students to save money and prevent trouble with the law. According to NIAAA, “the first 6 weeks of freshman year are a vulnerable time for heavy drinking and alcohol-related consequences because of student expectations and social pressures at the start of the academic year.” Most college students start drinking alcohol to fit in. Being away from home and all alone for the first time in their lives, they need to start a new life at school and do not know how to. Anxiety, desire to fit in, insecurity, relationship trauma and stress are some reasons that students result in drinking alcohol. Roughly 80% of college students drink alcohol and about 20% meet the criteria for having an alcohol use disorder. Alcohol use disorders or AUD is “a chronic relapsing brain disease characterized by compulsive alcohol use, loss of control over alcohol intake, and a negative emotional state when not using.” Many colleges have turned to having “dry” campuses, meaning no alcohol is permitted. This is to promote academic success in the students and in the school. Alcohol-related assaults among college students is common in the United States. Antonia Abbey, PH.D, wrote Alcohol-Related Sexual Assault: A Common Problem among College Students. The objective of her study is to research sexual assault experiences on a college campus. In her study, students talk about their experience with sexual assault. A boy said that if alcohol was not present, he would not have made the decision he did to force himself on a girl. Around 50% of sexual assaults among college students are alcohol related.
Heavy drinking of alcohol on college campuses is a huge problem and can have long term negative effects on the student. Often times, movies show a sort of “party culture” that is present at universities. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines
binge drinking as “a pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels to 0.08 g/dL. This typically occurs after four drinks for women and five drinks for men—in about two hours.” There are many negative consequences associated with the binge-drinking of alcohol. According to the Addiction Center, “about 1,825 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, more than 690,000 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking, more than 97,000 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape, about 599,000 receive unintentional injuries while under the influence of alcohol, about 25 percent report academic consequences of their drinking, including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers and receiving lower grades overall, more than 150,000 develop an alcohol-related health problem, and between 1.2 and 1.5 percent indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use.” Binge-drinking can result in death, in other words over dosing. The consumption of alcohol is illegal for most college students because they are under the age of 21. Getting caught by the authorities with alcohol or under the influence of alcohol can result in 60 days in jail, 6 months probation, fines, and licence suspension. According to Water Edge Recovery, college students spend up to $5,000 per year on alcohol. The average college student spends about five hundred dollars on textbooks and supplies for their classes. A student spends nearly nine hundred dollars per year on alcohol. Avoiding alcohol is important for students to save money and prevent trouble with the law. According to NIAAA, “the first 6 weeks of freshman year are a vulnerable time for heavy drinking and alcohol-related consequences because of student expectations and social pressures at the start of the academic year.” Most college students start drinking alcohol to fit in. Being away from home and all alone for the first time in their lives, they need to start a new life at school and do not know how to. Anxiety, desire to fit in, insecurity, relationship trauma and stress are some reasons that students result in drinking alcohol. Roughly 80% of college students drink alcohol and about 20% meet the criteria for having an alcohol use disorder. Alcohol use disorders or AUD is “a chronic relapsing brain disease characterized by compulsive alcohol use, loss of control over alcohol intake, and a negative emotional state when not using.” Many colleges have turned to having “dry” campuses, meaning no alcohol is permitted. This is to promote academic success in the students and in the school. Alcohol-related assaults among college students is common in the United States. Antonia Abbey, PH.D, wrote Alcohol-Related Sexual Assault: A Common Problem among College Students. The objective of her study is to research sexual assault experiences on a college campus. In her study, students talk about their experience with sexual assault. A boy said that if alcohol was not present, he would not have made the decision he did to force himself on a girl. Around 50% of sexual assaults among college students are alcohol related.