Students often choose to engage in binge drinking as a way to have fun, make friends and, in many cases, to drink to excess. On many campuses, binge drinking is viewed as ‘the norm’ with a large proportion of the undergraduate population being active participants in the drinking games that are part of college life.

A number of policy and research groups have been looking at this trend with alarm and have been issuing warnings to colleges and universities in a bid to tackle the problem. On occasion, binge drinking leads to a death of a student and in many cases can be the beginning of lifelong addiction to alcohol.

“What many students don’t realize is that they may develop bad habits early on that will stay with them or the rest of their student days and into their subsequent careers. This kind of drinking pattern can quickly spiral out of control and lead to alcohol addiction,” says Sue Allchurch, research director for the Linwood Group an operator of a private, residential treatment center located in Lincolnshire, UK, which offers help and assistance to people with alcoholism and alcohol abuse problems.

“Alcoholism is a progressive illness – over time, the binges will become closer together. If you tell yourself that you are alright because your drinking only goes out of control every few weeks, you are already in denial,” she warns.

There are other danger signs, too. These include:

• Blackouts – periods of time you cannot account for when drunk
• Regularly missing lectures or other commitments due to a hangover or the need to drink instead
• Daytime drinking in the week – worse still if you do this alone
• Craving alcohol
• Drinking in the morning to control a hang-over or the shakes
• Injuring yourself repeatedly when drunk
• Having attempted to cut back, finding it impossible
• Making excuses (for example, I only drink lager, I know someone who drinks a lot more than me, all students drink a lot)
• Getting annoyed or defensive if someone mentions the amount you drink

Clearly, the realization that you have a problem with alcohol begins with you. Seek confidential help and advice from a trained counselor, one who can help you break the cycle of binge drinking, a move that could save or extend your life.

Resources

Linwood Group

The Student Perspective On College Drinking

Photo Credit: Jason Aaberg

The Consequences Of Excessive Drinking

Just in time for the start of the new academic year, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) is urging parents to have a conversation with their adult children before they head off to school. Specifically, the NIAAA wants parents to discuss with them the consequences of excessive drinking which includes vandalism, violence, sexual aggression, and even death.

According to the NIAAA, first time students heading off to college typically drink less than their high school friends who choose not to attend college.  However, once at college, that trend quickly reverses itself particularly in the first six weeks of school when adjusting to a new environment is the hardest for them.  Besides the harm that can afflict students from abusing alcohol, as many as one-third of college freshmen fail to return for their sophomore year.

Parents Can Play An Important Part In Helping Their Children

To stem the tide of excessive drinking, the NIAAA recommends that parents get involved. Specifically, the organization recommends:

• Find out what the school’s alcohol policies are.
• Check up on sons and daughters frequently.
• Ask about their roommates and their living conditions.
• Parents should discuss the consequences of underage drinking, particularly the legal penalties as well as how alcohol use can lead to date rape, violence, and academic failure.

Parents are also encouraged to refer their sons and daughters to the NIAAA website (www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov) which features alcohol policies at most schools across the USA, an interactive program which shows how alcohol affects the human body, and related materials.

Grim Statistics Which Should Not Include Your Children

Statistics from the NIAAA report indicate that drinking by college students aged 18 to 24 contributes to an estimated 1,700 student deaths, 599,000 injuries, and 97,000 cases of sexual assault or date rape each year. Clearly, college bound sons and daughters must be warned about this problem, a subject that the NIAAA is eager to spotlight.

(Source: www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov)