Cause & Effect of Binge Drinking

What do failing grades, frequent memory lapses, fights, brutal hangovers and unplanned sexual activity all have in common? They are all frequent results of binge drinking by college students. On a typical Friday or Saturday night you can find the average college student out drinking and having fun. Normally partying with friends at a party, bar, or club; most of these college students are underage consuming excessive amounts of alcohol, or as its better known, “binge drinking.”The term binge drinking is defined as the consumption of five or more drinks in a row by men and four or more drinks in a row by women, at least once in a two week period. “One” drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine, or one shot of liquor. Alcohol abuse has taken part on America’s college campuses since the first colleges recorded and is considered to be the most serious of all problems on campuses in America. According to College Heath, “binge drinkers are more likely to be men, white students, attend school in the Northeast part of the country, to be associated with fraternities, sororities, and athletic activities, and to also live in frat or sorority houses or dorms, as opposed to living off campus.” CSPI, a survey conducted by Harvard University’s School of Public Health, found that 44% of U.S. college students who took their survey had participated in binge drinking two weeks prior to the survey; 51% of the males drank five or more drinks in a row and 40% of the women drank four or more drinks in a row. The same Harvard School of Public Health survey showed that, the percent of binge drinkers was almost uniform from freshman year to graduation, regardless of the students being under the legal drinking age or not.

We know what binge drinking is and who engages in binge drinking, but the question of why still remains. Drinking to socialize, drinking as culture, drinking as a right of passage, and drinking to relax are all reasons why college students binge drink. Many college students consider binge drinking to be part of a tradition. “Close to half of all the college students who drink say that they usually binge when they drink and that getting drunk is a good reason for drinking” (Hughes and Kroehler 146).

Binge drinking varies greatly due to college campus locations. According to the 2000 CAS report, campuses that are located in the Northeast and Midwest of the United States have higher rates of binge drinking. Gender also takes a major role of campus binge drinking. Men are more likely to binge drink than women. The population of college fraternity members and athletes are more likely to binge than any other groups or clubs on campuses. A study done by the Core Institute in 1999 showed that, white students are 50.2% more likely to binge drink, than students of other ethnicities; compared to 34.4% of Hispanics, 33.6% of Native American Indian, 26.2% of Asians, and 21.7% of Black/African Americans. The primary reason for this is consistent with the differential association theory, which is the longer the time period of contact that people have in deviant settings, the greater the probability that they, too, will become deviant.

“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 considered an acceptable part of lives by many college students, but is also true for members of fraternities. Drinking for social reasons plays an important role in gestures of interest between males and females. College students are also binge drink for social reasons when celebrating a victory associated with athletics. It is at parties where college students can socialize to music and consume large amounts of alcohol and become “socially accepted” and “fit in.”With academic stress comes binge drinking; college students binge drink as a prescription to relax. Cramming for exams or finals, maintaining a job, varsity sports, along with maintaining a social life, are all main factors contributing to the cause of binge drinking on campus. College students use binge drinking as a way to relax and unwind from stress and deal with pressure. It’s so easy for college