Getting Wasted : Why College Students Drink Too Much And Party So Hard

For example, in a study conducted by the University of Minnesota regarding students and alcohol relations, they found that, “Students sometimes drink because they think alcohol makes it easier to meet other people, relaxes their social inhibitions, and helps them have more fun” (Core Alcohol and Drug Survey Long Form - Form 194). This shows that alcohol use in college does have benefits for students, and that it provides them a fun alternative to school work. This also shows that alcohol use should not be restricted in college, because it provides opportunities for students to interact with others, and to escape their rough academic lives. However, on the other hand, statistics collected by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, show that “About 25 percent of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall” (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism). This shows that college alcohol abuse, even though it may be fun at the time for those involved, can have dire consequences on student’s academic roles. This also shows that colleges should restrict alcohol abuse, because in order for a college to hold quality national standings, it needs to have hardworking

Wechsler takes on a more educational approach with statistics such as, “86 percent of college students drink” (Wechsler para. 8). Within the first few paragraphs, the researcher on alcohol and drug abuse expands his knowledge on college binge drinking and suggests that, “Parents who pay for college tuitions should demand a safe environment for their children” (Wechsler para. 11). Wechsler provides answers as to why college drinking is not widely acknowledged.

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).

“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

“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

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

When students come to college, they believe they need to “drink to get drunk” at frat parties. This mentality arises from cognitive processes, perceptions, and motor activations that explain why heavy drinking is so prevalent among college students at frat parties.

An article called Why Haven’t Colleges Stopped Binge Drinking from the journal, The Chronicle of Higher Education, provides information backing the stereotype about college students excessively partying. This article utilizes this stereotype to inform readers of the actual results. The information based on the research proves that approximately 40% of college students have consumed four or five drinks in a row in one night in the last 30 days. Binge drinking has become a popular aspect in college.

Being a recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, I have found that a person’s whole lifestyle changes with the simple act of graduating college. One of the most obvious lifestyle modifications for many recent graduates is the decrease in the amount of partying, and the realization that it ends when college does. I conducted a statistical analysis on the consumption of alcohol for those still enrolled in undergraduate programs compared to the consumption of recent graduates. My research objectives include the following:

Continuing on, drinking alcohol has become a rite of passage for most students in college, this tradition is causing a lot of harm, and even death to college students. “Customs that promote college drinking also are embedded in numerous levels of students' environments. The walls of college sports arenas carry advertisements from alcohol industry sponsors. Alumni carry on the alcohol tradition, perhaps less flamboyantly than during their college years, at sports

College students commonly believe that their peers engage in higher levels of dangerous drinking than is actually the case, which may lead to greater perceived normative pressure to drink (Russell 2005). Misperceived drinking norms are vied as important risk factors that instigate alcohol misuse. The most common type of misperception is when nondrinkers and moderate drinkers (as a majority of students on most campuses are) falsely assume that their fellow students drink more than they actually do. Another misconception among the heavy drinkers is that no one can drink as much as they do. Heavy drinkers rely on this norm to justify their own behavior (Thombs 2004).

Binge drinking on college campuses and amongst college students continues to be a prevalent public health problem across the United States, impacting a large group of students. Binge drinking is defined as drinking five or more alcoholic drinks for men and four or more drinks for women in about two hours. Reports indicate that around 40 percent of student’s binge drink. There are a number of reasons why students engage in binge drinking including stress relief, emotional distress, rebelling, and peer-pressure. (El-Rahman, 2014)

Alcohol abuse is a major problem throughout college campuses in America. The majority of college students may not think it is an enormous problem, but it is. Alcohol abuse is among one of the biggest problems that colleges and universities across America face. Speaking at the Senate Committee of Homeland and Government Affairs, Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut stated, “Alcohol abuse on college campuses has reached a point where it is far more destructive than most people realize and today threatens too many of our youth.” College students’ abuse of alcohol has an impact on their fellow students, campus, and the surrounding communities. (College drinking problems and research solutions) Some consequences college students face for

Alcohol abuse is a major problem on most college campuses in America. Majority of college students might not think it is an enormous problem, but in fact it is: it is among one of the biggest problems that colleges and universities all across America face. For instance, speaking at the Senate Committee of Homeland and Government Affairs, Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut stated, “Alcohol abuse on college campuses has reached a point where it is far more destructive than most people realize and today threatens too many of our youth.” College students’ abuses of alcohol have an impact on their fellow students, campus, and the surrounding communities. Some consequences college students face for abusing alcohol includes death, academic

University students are synonymous with drinking and testing their limits. Maybe it’s some kind of rite of passage or merely peer pressure but when you consider the average age of students these days it hard to gain some kind of perspective. According to the most recently available data, the median age of college students is 21.6 years, while for university students; the median age is 22.8 years (see Appendix A). (Dale, 2012) The question needs to be asked; why young adults of this age find it necessary to binge drink and also what the effects of this is on their academic achievement.