Drinking at college has become a ritual that students often see as an integral part of their higher education experience. However, a college environment revolving around an alcoholic culture can lead to severe issues.
Harmful and underage college drinking are significant public health problems, and can have an enormous toll on the lives of students on campuses across the United States. So, what are the dangers of college alcoholism and how can we mitigate them?
Binge Drinking and Its Negative Consequences
College alcoholism problems mainly revolve around the practice of college binge drinking. On college campuses across the U.S., many students ages 18 to 24 are taking part in this dangerous activity which consists of drinking alcohol to the point of getting drunk and beyond.
For binge drinking is defined as alcohol consumption exceeding five or more drinks in a short period of time, drastically spiking blood alcohol concentration. For women, this level is lower, at only four or more drinks in a row, producing blood alcohol levels far above the legal driving limit of 0.08%.
College students drink at higher rates than any other group, including young people of the same age who don’t attend college.
Drinking in college can be attributed to many different reasons. While some students go to college with a lot of past drinking experience, others come with little experience and a desire to in drinking and other risky behaviors without parents around.
The start of freshman year, in particular, can be a time when a lot of heavy drinking occurs for full time college students, as factors affecting student drinking are at their peak, with parties happening on the regular and no classes to attend.
Another issue among college students is the existence of heavy drinking cultures within the institutions themselves. For example, students tend to drink more at colleges when they live in fraternities or sororities.
Drinking rates are also higher at schools with high-profile sports programs.
Regardless of the reasons why, binge drinking is a significant cause of college alcoholism and can result in alcohol addiction, alcohol related unintentional injuries and in even worse cases, sexual assault, violence and death.
Alcohol Poisoning From Binge Drinking
These more severe instances of negative binge drinking repercussions stem from the dangers of alcohol poisoning and overdose caused by excessive drinking.
For students who binge-drink, getting drunk is often the main goal, but getting drunk can lead to alcohol poisoning and overdose if a person is unaware of, or exceeds, their limits.
Drinking too much, too quickly, can affect your breathing, heart rate, body temperature and gag reflex and potentially lead to a coma and death – the basic effects of alcohol poisoning, a common problem associated with college alcoholism.
“It’s not necessary to see all the symptoms before you seek medical help.”
An alcohol overdose occurs when there is so much alcohol in the bloodstream that areas of the brain controlling basic life-support functions—such as breathing, heart rate, and temperature control—begin to shut down.
Symptoms of alcohol overdose include mental confusion, difficulty remaining conscious, vomiting, seizure, trouble breathing, slow heart rate, clammy skin, dulled responses such as no gag reflex, and extremely low body temperature.
It’s not necessary to have all the above signs or symptoms before you seek medical help. A person with alcohol poisoning symptoms who is unconscious or can’t be awakened is at risk of dying as alcohol overdose can lead to permanent brain damage or death.
What tips the balance from drinking that produces impairment, to drinking that puts one’s life in jeopardy varies among individuals. Age, sensitivity to alcohol, gender, speed of drinking, medications you are taking, and amount of food eaten can all be factors.
Alcohol use and taking opioids or sedative-hypnotics, such as sleep and anti-anxiety medications, can also increase your risk of an overdose. For example, even drinking alcohol while taking over-the-counter antihistamines can be dangerous.
This is what makes college alcoholism so dangerous, its unpredictable which can turn a fun night out into an event that can scar a young person for the rest of their lives.
Solutions For College Students to Avoid Alcohol Abuse
With such clear and present danger posed by college alcoholism, it is important that colleges address harmful drinking before college alcoholism goes past the epidemic.
Unfortunately, it already is a major issue and it is already claiming more young lives. But how does a college go about convincing its students not to drink?
Mandatory Education
Although there are many college students that drink, there is only a minority aware of risks of college alcoholism.
Evidence suggests that colleges can moderate student drinking by making alcohol education mandatory. This education can take several different forms, such as a class during new student orientation or a compulsory online course for students to complete in their own time.
This is because most people, especially college students, aren’t aware of the negatives that come with drinking. For example, it is an often brushed over fact that alcohol increases your risk for certain cancers, especially breast cancer.
Students may also be surprised to learn just how slowly alcohol is processed by the liver, with it taking an average of an hour for the liver to process the alcohol in a pint of beer.
These classes should not be intended to scare students off drinking, but rather give them accurate information to make better decisions.
“Most people, especially college students, aren’t aware of the negatives that come with drinking.”
Address Perceptions
Although binge drinking is extremely common on college campuses, many students imagine it is even more common than it actually is. In certain circles, it may be easy for students to get the idea that nearly everyone binge drinks, as younger people are often influenced by social pressure and what they believe is normal.
If younger students believe that everyone in college binge drinks on the weekends, it stands to reason that they are more likely to binge drink as well.
In colleges where this distorted perception is common, giving students a more accurate picture of binge drinking on campus may help reduce drinking.
If students believe that 90 percent of college students binge drink, but the real number is closer to 50 percent the having this accurate information may significantly alter their expectations and behavior.
Harm Reduction
Despite the dangers, expecting college students not to drink at all is unrealistic so many colleges aim instead for harm reduction. While alcohol certainly can cause damage on its own, it is more often the accidents, fights, and crimes that cause the worst problems for students.
Harm reduction policies can aim to reduce both the intensity of drinking and the problematic behaviors associated with it. For example, colleges may offer incentives for designated drivers or extend campus transportation services to reduce drunk driving.
Colleges may also consider letting students who are of legal drinking age host parties on campus so students won’t have to drive and administrators can exercise some oversight.
Better Support Services
While many students binge drink mainly because of a college alcoholism culture, others drink to deal with stress or emotional pain, using their college alcoholism as a coping mechanism.
College can be incredibly stressful, especially for first-year students. Having better support systems in place can reduce drinking in general and reduce the likelihood that students develop substance use disorders.
These services may specifically include access to psychotherapy and counseling, but other forms of support may be helpful too. These might include tutoring for students who struggle academically, easy access to fitness facilities, and special efforts to get students involved in campus organizations so they feel less isolated, especially on large campuses.