"The College Experience"

Many people are aware that binge drinking is a prominent problem on college campuses, and numerous people often affiliate it with something that is expected to be done on almost all college campuses. Binge drinking transpires when a female consumes four or more alcoholic beverages and five or more for a male. People often don’t think of the problems or issues that are behind the drinking habits of college students. According to National College Health Assessment Measuring Negative Alcohol-Related Consequences Among College Students, students conglomerated with Greek organizations, abusive relationships, intramural sports, and suffering from astronomical levels of stress are more likely to binge drink. This article was formed off of a survey, that was used at over five hundred colleges and universities. 

There are other factors that also discourage students from participating in binge drinking. Students that have higher grade point averages are less likely to binge drink than students that have lower grade point averages. Females and males tend to have different experiences when they binge drink. Males tend to have more positive experiences when they binge drink, while females tend to have more regrets about their actions, which leads to depression. This study revealed that males’ most pleasurable moments while drinking include their sexual experiences. Also, college students that are older tend to have more negative consequences than younger students. Students twenty-one to twenty-four tend to drink more, drive under the influence, and have increased cases of sexually transmitted infections. Sexually transmitted infections are a common outcome of risky behaviors that occur when people overindulge in alcohol.

Most students use drinking as a coping mechanism. It helps them escape the incidents that they are faced with in day-to-day life. Many schools recognize binge drinking as a problem, but fail to address they reasons behind the drinking patterns.  It is thought that if colleges and universities offer programs that teach and encourage positive coping skills, then there would be fewer students that overuse alcohol.

Abstract

National College Health Assessment Measuring Negative Alcohol-Related Consequences among College Students. (2014, February 1). Retrieved September 1, 2014, from http://pubs.sciepub.com/ajphr/2/1/1/