An Intervention to Prevent Binge Drinking Among College Students
Binge drinking is defined by the Center for Disease Control (2017) as “5 or more alcoholic drinks for males or 4 or more alcoholic drinks for females on the same occasion” Our team believes that this matter is something that we could address within our own community at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. In this paper, we will provide supporting evidence that binge drinking is indeed a problem on our college campus. Next, we will propose an intervention to help reduce incidence and provide support for those individuals that are affected by binge drinking. We will then explore the rationale behind our intervention and how it might work to benefit those afflicted. Finally, we will explore how we can evaluate the success or failure of said intervention.
Problem.
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We feel that this is a problem on our campus that needs addressing. Individuals who partake in heavy episodic drinking are more likely to engage in impulsive, risk-taking, sensation seeking and destructive behaviors. These behaviors contribute to sexual assault/regret, losing consciousness, violence, academic deterioration and various health issues including death. R Nourse, et al (2016) assert, BD can induce or contribute to student behavioural or emotional changes such as uncharacteristic aggressiveness or the development or exacerbation of anxiety, depressive feelings, or even suicidal ideation (p.19). While getting specific numbers for the University of Hawaii at Hilo has proven difficult, we have used state and national data to extrapolate trends at our college
In Henry Wechsler’s, “Getting Serious about Eradicating Binge Drinking”, he discusses the issue of binge drinking. Binge drinking is an extensive problem on college campuses. The majority of colleges merely focus on the student, rather than what encourages students to drink. Fraternities, sororities, and athletics are huge sources of the students on campus who drink. There are many approaches colleges can take to decrease the problem, and many colleges are already getting a head start. It is also important to not ignore how often colleges indirectly encourage students to drink (20).
Binge drinking is considered to be a health problem because nearly half of all college students have reported to drink more than 5 drinks is a short period of time (Hennessee, 2013). There has been about 1,825 college students who have died from alcohol-related injuries such as motor-vehicle crashes with the students being between 18 - 24 years old (College Drinking Fact Sheet, 2015). An increase of 6% of college deaths has occurred due to binge breaking increasing the total amount from 1,600 to 1,700 (Hingson, Heeren, & Wechsler, n.d.).
The lifecycle of binge drinking has been established through the NIAA’s definition of binge drinking which defines the problem. The public has transformed it into a public issue with organizations such as SADD and Alcoholics Anonymous. The lifecycle of the binge drinking problem continues with a debate over the cause of it, and finally finishes with coming up with a solution to reduce the amount of binge drinking on campuses (Lundquist Lecture January 25). UMass Amherst has a history of binge
We regret to inform the panel the evidence obtained in regards to binge drinking is inconclusive at this time. One study established 13.9% of first-year students who only admitted to a “drinking binge” episode only once in a period of two-weeks. According to the study; 14.8% of seniors also admitted to a “drinking binge” in the same two-weeks (Presley, Meilman, Cashin, & Lyerla, 1996). Therefore, no part or portion is distinct or distinguishable of either student(s) mentioned because seniors and first-year students than reported; were having between six and nine binge drinking episodes in a period of two-weeks (Presley, et al.). However, Engs, Hanson, and Diebold (1996) established binge drinking among seniors were fewer than among first-year students. In classical logic binge drinking studies occurred during college conclusively, so we can determine the research is reliable regards to negative results of said behavior. Academic grades, personal issues, overdosing, impaired driving, and sexual behaviors have proven to be a few of the negative effects of student binge drinking (Perkins, 2002). These consequences are
Those that participate in binge drinking do it for many different reasons, a bad test grade, roommate arguments, celebration for a job well done, peer pressure, or simply because it is the weekend. No one is saying that it is wrong to go out and have a few drinks but when students go out and just drink to get drunk, actions must be taken to stop such activity. According to the graph on the next page done by the Harvard Public School of Health it is clear that a majority of students drink to simply get wasted. [Colorado State University 1] The number of binge drinkers may not have gone up in 1999 compared to 1997, for every five students two are binge drinkers, or 44%. [Wechsler #2, 1] However, the intensity of drinking has increased, when students are going out they are having more to drink. [Wechsler #2, 2]
The gravity of binge-drinking-related problems has not been relieved in the recent decade, although college administrators have developed prevention programs and punishment policies to eliminate the phenomenon of binge drinking. The persistently unsolved problem should be attributed to that the major focus of previous attempts has generally been on “preventing binge-drinking behavior per se” (root). To solve binge-drinking related problems by prohibiting binge drinking is
“From the moment freshmen set foot on campus, they are steeped in a culture that encourages them to drink, and drink heavily. At many schools, social life is still synonymous with alcohol-lubricated gatherings” (Cohen). Binge drinking is a huge aspect of the culture of college life; many college students binge drink to become socially accepted in a particular group. Binge drinking is not only
Students adopt the heavy drinking tendencies during their first year of college. Intervention has been made to reduce the statistics of heavy drinking of college students. More and more college administrators have adopted alcohol and drug abuse education and prevention programs but despite the efforts, the alcohol-related problems have not decreased much (Turrisi, Mallett & Mastroleo, 2006).
Most research focuses on binge drinking within a 4-year college setting, however respectfully the majority of variables remain constant between 2-year and 4-year institutions, therefore posing the question is this an issue among 2 year colleges as well. The focus of this research paper is to establish the significance of binge drinking within the community college setting, consider what the causes are and how to change the thought processes that are intertwined within this culture through prevention/harm reduction education.
In Alcohol, Tobacco, and Caffeine, shows that alcohol is a serious issue on campus universities. Especially being a binge drinkers, who are the cause of deaths, lack of interest in college, and even rape. However, university presidents are concerned about the student’s behavior on campus with alcohol use. They attend to provided leadership groups that help with students on alcohol abuse,
Due to the accepting collegiate culture of drinking college students will often overindulge or binge drink. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as, “four drinks for women and five drinks for men in about two hours.” What many college students do not realize while they are out at a party drinking is that this type of behavior is extremely dangerous and can cause alcohol poisoning which if untreated can potentially lead to death. The United States Government’s College Drinking Prevention website stated that, “a recent study estimates more than 1,400 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year form alcohol-related injuries, and 500,000 students sustain alcohol-related injuries each
Binge drinking is the act of devouring extensive amounts of liquor in a solitary session. Binge drinking is a public health issue and its concerns about the anti-social behavior of the teenage drinkers. Binge drinking is a problem. Drinking heavily over a period of time. -going on a bender -drinking to get wasted -passing out Binge drinking can lead to some very bad health, personal and community consequences.
Nationwide, binge drinking has not received the same awareness as other leading health risks. Binge drinking is the consumption of “four or more alcoholic drinks…for women...and five or more drinks…for men” per occasion(s) within a month (Kanny, Liu, Brewer & Lu, 2013, p. 77). According to data collected by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) in both 2010 and 2011, the overall national prevalence of binge drinking was 17.1% and 18.4%, respectively (Kanny, Liu, Brewer & Garvin, 2012, p. 15; Kanny et al., 2013, p. 78). Both years listed the Midwest as an area with both the highest age-adjusted prevalence of adult binge drinking and the highest intensity (the amount of drinks per occasion within the past month) of binge drinking (Kanny et al., 2012, p. 16; Kanny et al., 2013, p. 78). As a state in the Midwest, Illinois should make efforts to decrease the prevalence of binge drinking in the state because nationwide binge drinking has shown to 1) cost the United States billions of dollars annually from lost productivity, health care, and crime, 2) increase a person’s risk for variety of health problems from diseases to injuries, and 3) account for more than 50% of the annual average deaths due to excessive drinking.
Binge Drinking is an intriguing phenomenon that many college students take part in all across the country. The issue of binge drinking has been a problem on college campuses for decades. Binge drinking has many horrible effects, but the problem starts with the causes for it. If the causes could be controlled then the issue would not get out of hand. Many college students give different causes for their drinking problems, and experts on the subject have their explanations as well. The problem is, while growing through adolescence anything can become an excuse for drinking, such as ¡§its Thursday the day before Friday, we need to drink¡¨ or, ¡§it¡¦s the last Wednesday of the
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