The United States is not immune to the worldwide drug addiction epidemic. Drugs pour in from Mexico daily, then distributed to throughout the country. The economic crisis in America is creating an excuse for drug use (e.g., depression, hopelessness). This chemical fix not only creates problems for the addict, but the family and community as well. Every addict has an enabler, a person who makes the addiction possible through various venues of support (e.g., financial, denial). Addicts are only concerned with their next fix and will resort to any means to obtain it (e.g., theft, prostitution, pan-handling). Some have even resorted to extremely desperate measures; for example, murder for inheritance or life insurance proceeds.
Causal Argument: Will Lowering the Drinking Age Solve the Problem of Binge Drinking among College Students? Research has supported the observation that young people in America consume alcohol regularly; this prevalence of use increases rapidly during adolescence, as well as a few years afterward (Wagenaar and Wolfson 37). This has come to be a problem among college students. It has been shown through extensive quantitative and qualitative research that those under twenty-one years of age are able to obtain alcohol, which allows them to binge drink. Binge drinking holds many problems for college students: alcohol poisoning, DUIs, traffic accidents, and even fatalities.
Underage Drinking: Annotated Bibliography Alexis Richter Comp 2 February 27th, 2010 Engs, Ruth C. "Why the Drinking Age Should be Lowered: An Opinion Based Upon Research." CQ Researcher. N.p., 20 Mar. 1998. Web. 9 Feb. 2011. . The article “Why the Drinking Age Should be Lowered: An Option based upon Research” is about twenty years of research based underage drinking done by Ruth Engs. It talks about the way things were in the past compared to how things are now. The research done for this article shows that binge drinking is mostly found in the age below 21 due to the lack of being taught responsible drinking habits. In this article there are many statistics dealing with drinking at a college level over a long span of
As many teenagers enter college, they begin to experiment with many things. Although not all students participate in underage drinking, it is evident that a vast majority do. Drinking is not the problem. The main problem occurs when students resort to binge drinking. In the
Marijuana is a popular and universal drug. It is easily accessible to most people and is the number one illicit drug used in North America. Although the availability and knowledge of this drug is fairly equal for all people in North America, marijuana tends to be more prevalent in teenagers
Skidmore, Kaufman and Crowell (2016) found that 76.1% of students use alcohol and 38.6% of students use any illicit drug (p. 737). According to Skidmore, Kaufman and Crowell (2016) there are specific populations of students who have an increased risk of substance abuse. These at risk populations include: white men, first year students, athletes, students in fraternities and sororities, sexual minorities, and students with depression and anxiety (p.
Alcohol abuse is a serious health problem when it comes to college students. "The average amount of binge drinkers on college campuses is 50% of men and 39% of women" (<a href="http://www.oregoncounseling.org/ArticlesPapers/">http://www.oregoncounseling.org/ArticlesPapers/</a>). There are various reasons why students drink and serious short and long term effects on the body and mind. Alcoholism is a serious problem for college students and there are many actions being taken to try to lessen the problem among colleges throughout the country.
College DrinkingHarmful and underage college drinking are signifcant public health problems, and they exact an enormous toll on the intellectual and social lives of students on campuses across the United States. Drinking at college has become a ritual that students often see as an integral part of their higher education experience. Many students come to college with established drinking habits, and the college environment can exacerbate the problem. According to a national survey, almost 60 percent of college students ages 18–22 drank alcohol in the past month,1 and almost 2 out of 3 of them engaged in binge drinking during that same timeframe.2Consequences of Harmful and Underage College DrinkingDrinking affects college students, their families, and college communities at large. Researchers estimate that each year:DeathAbout 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor-vehicle crashes.3Assault About 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking.4Sexual AssaultAbout 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report experiencing alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape.4What is “binge drinking?” Many college alcohol problems are related to binge drinking. Binge drinking is a pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels to 0.08 g/dL. This typically occurs after 4 drinks for women and 5 drinks for men—in about 2
Alcohol is a main concern in many college campuses, leading to various problems with students either being involved in overusing it or becoming the victim of someone who has been over using it. Many of the freshmen in college are underage students coming right out of highschool with little knowledge of the serious consequences that alcohol can have. If the drinking age is lowered to 18 years old, these students coming out of highschool and into college will be the appropriate age to purchase alcohol. It is important that these students are informed of the issues alcohol can have before they endanger the wellbeing of themselves or
Lisa Martinez WRT 106 Dr. Yacob Ali 30 November 2015 Binge Drinking on College Campuses Approximately four out of five college students drink alcohol (niaaa.nih.gov). Although alcohol does not have immediate negative effects, over consumption can lead to serious consequences. For example, 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries (niaaa.nih.gov).Most alcohol-related injuries and accident are a result of binge drinking. 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. “Although people of all ages, races, and genders participate in binge drinking, it is especially popular among college students”(Clinkinbeard & Michael 302). Although a majority of college students are under aged and leaglly can not drink, binge drinking has become so prevalent, that it has become part of college culture. In movies, television shows, and music, alcohol is often referenced and can influence students to make regrettable decisions. When students decide to binge drink, they can experience the consequences that result from it. Binge drinking has become a major problem on college campuses across the country and can negatively impact a student’s health, social life, academic performance, and it can lead to unintentional injuries and deaths.
Mothers against drunk driving officials and the Amethyst Initiative both agree that alcohol abuse by college students is a huge problem. Research has found more than forty percent of college students reported either symptoms of alcohol abuse or dependency.
The most abused substance on college campuses is alcohol. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that four out of five college students drink alcohol. College students are traditionally between the ages of 18 and 22 years old, with 21 being the legal drinking age in America. Even more important, half of these drinkers engage in binge drinking, which is the consumption of an excessive amount of alcohol in a short period. Many factors, in addition to its easy access, makes alcohol the substance of choice for students. Upperclassmen over age 21 can buy alcohol legally and distribute it to younger students, and it is relatively inexpensive.
A primary feature regarding working and college attendance was that college students drank more on the days that they worked more hours, suggesting that despite any greater maturity level and independent living situations that are very similar to adolescents in how their work schedules impact their alcohol use (Butler). Although the study emphasizes on four year colleges it was surveyed that within the years of 2000-2013 two-year college students carried a higher percentage (64% to 42%) of attending full-time as well as being employed than 4-year private (46% to 34%) and public (51% to 40%) sectors all declining by 2013
The Debate Over the Legal Drinking Age College life is filled with changes. It is filled with many new experiences. As college students, we are on our own, adults. As adults we are responsible for keeping up to date on information that affects us. One issue that affects college students nation wide is drinking. The current legal drinking age in the United States is twenty-one years of age. The Federal government raised the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 in 1984. Even with the current drinking age at twenty-one, many people under that age choose to drink anyway. In fact, a government survey from 1996 showed that 56% of high school seniors reported drinking in the last 30 days (Hanson). With so many underage drinkers, many people
Addiction could be described as taboo in some parts of the world depending on one’s belief. Some cultures pass down belief from generation to generation in an effort to keep its history alive. For example, the Samoans tattoo their skin to honor the journey into adulthood and the bravery of the individual undergoing this very painful and extensive process. Other people in the world see this form of art as a gang-related practice. However, some individuals are simply attracted to the art and have an inoffensive tendency to tattoo their skins with ideas they believe in. As time elapses, there is a possibility that tattoos can become an addiction without the individual realizing it. The stimulation a person gets from a specific consumable substances