Why do college students drink so heavily? In college drinking is huge it has caused many serious problems which include rape, unwanted pregnancy, DUI, car accidents, unexpected injuries, and many fights. College drinking is extremely popular at college campuses all over the USA and cannot be stopped especially in the underage crowd. Even though drinking is fun and used as a stress reliever from academics. College students need to be made aware of the consequences of drinking including the short term and long term effects that could change their lives forever. Why do college students drink so heavily?
In college it is a huge problem in the United States leading to alcoholism and many health problems; it’s been blamed for violence, rape, and unwanted pregnancy. In 1999 Harvard University did a survey, at119 colleges. They found that college drinking is one of the most serious problems on campus. The survey showed that; 44% of U. S. college students engaged in binge drinking during the two weeks before the survey, 51% of the Men drank 5 or more drinks in a row, 40% of the Woman drank 4 or more drinks in a row. It showed that students most likely to binge drink were white, age 23 or younger, and are residents of a fraternity or sorority.
If they were binge drinkers in high school, they were three times more likely to binge in college. (Alcohol, 2011) College drinkers say that the reasons they binge drink was because they liked to drink to get drunk, they want to know what it’s like to drink alcohol, underage drinkers say they ‘don’t get id’ed” so it’s easy access to alcohol, it makes them feel good not thinking about being sick and hung-over the following day, they did things that associated with drinking, more than half the people they knew consumed alcohol on campus, peer pressure, and the academic stress.
In college alcohol is looked at as a stress reducer even though it can make the stress worse. The effects that college students complained about were alcohol-related problems since the beginning of the school year. These drinkers were 10 times more likely to have missed classes, received bad grades in class, had numerous unplanned sexual activity, had sex without using protection, damaged property, got in trouble with the police, hurt themselves or someone else, Driven a car after drinking, or been arrested.
Studies showed that at colleges with a high drinking rates: 71% had sleep or study interrupted, 23% had a serious argument, 57% had to take care of an intoxicated student, 16% had property damaged, 36% had been insulted or humiliated, 11% had been pushed, hit or assaulted, 23% had experienced an unwanted sexual encounter, 1% had been the victim of a sexual advance Assault or “date rape” (Alcohol, 2011) The NIAAA lists a large range of bad outcomes as a result of drinking, which include an estimated 1,700 deaths of college students but college students in particular between the ages of 18 and 24 from “alcohol-related unintentional injuries.
Every year more than 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking;” “more than 400,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 had unprotected sex as a result of their drinking each year;” “25 percent of college students report academic consequences of their drinking. ” (Lucier, 2011) One in six adults in the USA drinks heavily. On average they consume eight drinks per occasion and about four times a month. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report says, this risky behavior exists in all states, causing more than half of the 80,000 deaths and three-quarters of the $223. billion in economic costs. (Prevention, 2010) The reasons people get violent when they drink alcohol is that it affects the way we process information. When someone has been drinking they are most likely to misinterpret other people’s actions, behavior, and possibly misread them. When you’re drinking you let your emotions take control whether it’s happy, sad, or mean. When you drink you’re more likely to take risks. When you’re out drinking sometimes the environment can increase the chances of both becoming aggressive and being exposed to violence.
Loud, packed bars may be popular but the extreme over-crowding and loud music van cause a violent encounter. They can start by unintentionally bumping into people or accidently spilling someone’s drink. This can sometimes lead to a confrontation with violence. When you drink you need to avoid confrontations and have fun. Acting aggressively while drinking can lead to other problems like bar fights, hospitalization, or even jail. If you’re out having fun drinking, the last place you want to end up would be in any of these positions. In college the peer pressure is inevitable.
It’s so easy to finish your classes for the day, go to the bar, have a beer, and study. Most college students love to fit in and they love to drink especially to get drunk. They like the fact that it makes them feel good and it helps them take the stress away for the day even though they may be sick and hung-over the following day. Most college students do things that are associated with drinking like attending frat parties, social gatherings, and school games; football, basketball, baseball, soccer. The best part about attending the games is the tailgating parties and the drinking that goes along with it.
With the peer pressure, academic stress, and easy access to drinking. It’s not hard for a college student to say “Yes” to alcohol. The reason why some college students hate it is because it makes you feel horrible the next day, you do silly things that you may regret, and you might get left at a party. The reasons why some college students love it; is because it’s fun and you feel free, you are not scared to be yourself, and you meet a lot of people. Drinking in college is one of the most memorable things in our life and you need to have a chance to experience it.
You just have to take precautions and be careful not to harm yourself or others. Drinking can affect your future in so many different ways a DUI conviction is a very serious charge and it can change your future instantly. When you decide to get in your car and drive after a few drinks you need to think about the consequences. A driving-under-the-influence conviction in the State of Florida typically costs about $10,000. This includes the bail, fines, fees and insurance. (Soloman, N. A) The penalties can be huge! The first cost would be the bail bondsman.
This can range anywhere from $150-$2500 depending on the type of arrest. If there was an accident or someone got hurt it could be much greater. After your re arrested and taking to jail the police officer will tow your car to the nearest Police impound. The cost to impound is $100, after the initial fee there are additional daily fees. Insurance rates will sky rocket if you get a DUI and it will stay high anywhere from three to five years. Some insurance companies may even drop you and you will have to apply for high risk insurance. Soloman, N. A) This can cost you an average of $1500 dollars. When you get a DUI the most important thing to do is to get lawyer. The legal fees are outrageous; they can cost you on average of $500-$25000. The price of the Lawyer will depend if you are fighting the charges or not. The fines/court fees can range anywhere from $300 to $1200. The classes which include; A Victim awareness class $42, DUI class first offense $252, License reinstatement $300, and all the alcohol treatments and evaluations add up to about $1000. (Soloman, N.
A) A DUI is a very expensive way to learn a lesson the best way to learn this lesson is not to Drink and drive. You will lose time, money, possibly your job, and it doesn’t look good on a background check. (Soloman, N. A) Why People get violent when they drink is because when you are drinking your emotions are strong. People sometimes get angered very easily by starting fights, hitting woman, and even breaking things. Some people are violent drunks that don’t know how to control their anger and they take it out on other people. In my research people who have anger management issues should not drink.
Alcoholism is a chronic disease in which your body becomes dependent on alcohol. When you’re an alcoholic you lose control over your drinking. You can’t control when you drink, how much you drink, or how long you drink on each occasion. If you’re an alcoholic you continue to drink even if it causes very serious problems with your relationships, health, finances, or work. An Alcohol abuser is not completely dependent on alcohol but still has a problem with it. They have not lost control but eventually can lose control and turn into an alcoholic. This can be preventable with help and support. Osborne, 2004) The Risks of Drinking alcohol are; being hung-over or throwing up, difficulty concentrating, memory lapses, mood changes, and other problems that may affect your life. Drinking has some more serious risks as well including Alcohol Poisoning, Impaired Judgment, the risk of catching a sexually transmitted disease (STD), unplanned pregnancy or high blood pressure. (Dowshen, 2009) Alcohol can be a silent killer it can cause any of these risks at anytime without warning. In conclusion why do college student drink so heavily? Because drinking alcohol can be a lot of fun.
There are many serious consequences in drinking heavily in college that may have extreme long term effects. You need to be careful the amount you drink and who you are drinking with. Do not trust anyone unless its people you know. Do not go home with strangers. This could lead to many serious problems like rape or unwanted pregnancy. Some people should not drink because they tend to be mean or violent. Stay away from these types of people so you do not end up in a fight or at the hospital due to someone else’s stupidity. You’re supposed to have fun in college just don’t let college get the best of you.
