Effects of Alcohol use

Since the effects of substance consumption are immense and widespread, it cannot be inferred. Excessive alcohol consumption can be harmful to the user’s health and social life, as well as causing issues in the wider society, including the workplace and educational establishments. Despite the many harmful effects of the medication, people continue to take it for a variety of reasons. Worse, college students have developed a habit of abusing alcohol, which has a negative impact on their social, economic, and family lives. As a result, the report examines the effect of substance dependence on college students as well as the dangers of driving while intoxicated. I found this topic interesting and an ideal platform to address the alcoholism problem in college students. Notably, drug abuse, especially alcohol is a vice that should not be practiced in college or any other learning institution; therefore, this article seeks to reveal the negative impact of this indulgence and educate teenager, and college students why they should abstain. The exercise of researching on this topic was interesting looking into alcoholism statistics and consequences in the internet sources and other relating articles. Students being a special group guided my study into scholar articles which addressed the impacts of drug abuse on this vulnerable population. These sources provided sufficient information to undertake my report with confidence and zeal (Caetano et al. 448). I did not experience serious challenges that posed a threat to the completion of my research except for the input hard-work to peruse volumes of scholarly articles that related to my study which proved beneficial and critical to my success.

Developing alcoholism

Alcoholism is a serious addiction problem which is devastating to the financial, professional and family life of the victim (Caetano et al. 445). Apparently, alcoholism is a significant impediment to the maturation of a college student’s brain because it damages the brain cells. Therefore, if the issue with addiction is not resolved during the college life, chances are high that the student will become alcoholic.

College students risk becoming alcoholics if they may not professionally guided and helped to overcome the addiction. Common signals will include a student establishing strong relationships with a group known to have alcoholic history, oversleeping, an irrational decision with far-reaching consequences, losing interest in academic work and decreasing self-control on the drug usage (Oshri et al. 513). Later, this situation will aggravate alcoholic if not addressed in time.

Factors contributing to alcohol abuse by college students

Students joining colleges find themselves in unfamiliar territories with people of all kind of manners. Also, some of the students become under pressure to perform and succeed in their college academy thus subjecting them to depression (Taylor et al. 399). Failure of an effective and robust guiding and counseling system will make these students resort to alcohol as their anti-stress. Studies show that students who live in apartments and colleague dormitories have a higher chance of becoming alcohol drinkers than those leaving under the same roof with their parents.

College drinking

Alcohol abuse in college has risen to alarming rate with statistics showing early four out of five students take alcohol. Moreover, fifty percent of those who drink consume alcohol in large quantities; however, hangover forms one of the post-effects of alcohol abuse in students which immensely impact on their performance through making them distaste college systems and relax in laxity (Taylor et al. 397). The use of alcohol in learning institutions has become a common practice, mainly because of their party culture. Statistics reveal that up to 80 % of college students have experimented or tasted alcohol out of peer pressure or curiosity. Later, research reveals that approximately half of this estimation has engaged in heavy drinking on several occasions within one month (Oshri et al. 517). Nevertheless, alcohol is destructive and the students need to be enlightened on the dire consequences abusing the drug will impact in their education, social life, and health. Notably, excessive and consistent drinking leads an individual into a situation described as alcoholism which will be an apathetic state out of control of the victim.

Impacts of Alcohol abuse on students

Poor performance in school

Alcohol abuse also contributes to poor academic performance as a result of missing of classes due to hangovers or foregone classes to drinking. Consequently, the student will miss the technical services of the tutor thus become disadvantaged during examinations (Oshri et al. 515). The drug can also affect the concentration of the student on assignment making them fail to submit exams in time or resort to an academic fraud of cheating in the assignment. However, this vice might not sustain students past strict environment of examination which will frustrate them by performing dismally. College alcoholism negatively impacts on the student’s focus and concentration on academic matters. State of drunkenness will put the student in consistent troubles with the authority and colleagues thereby denying them the peace of mind to focus on education (Caetano et al. 442). Again, considerable amount of time is consumed in drinking spree and merry making which could have been put into studies.

Criminal activities

Alcohol abuse can escalate students’ behavior to violent traits which attracts prosecution by criminal authorities. The drug can deceive the victim to commit offenses believing they are superior or do things unconsciously because of their irrational reasoning (Cook et al. 1022). The illegalities which can be committed under the influence of alcohol would include vandalism, stealing, and raping. These offenses automatically attract the arm of the government to punish, thereby demoralizing the students by denting their reputation and killing their confidence (Albers et al. 1838). Researchers reveal that nearly one hundred and ten thousand students between the age bracket of nineteen and twenty-four years are annually convicted with the most significant percentage being influenced by alcohol. Additionally, heavy drinking has been noted to make a majority of the students violent because of aggression that is eventually triggered, making them end up being guilty of vandalism.

The use of alcohol abuse also triggers unethical behavior that could be violent or non-violent. An individual under the influence of alcohol will use any means to acquire money to procure the product. Most often, drinking alcohol immensely consumes money because of the cost of the drink, frequency, and quantity of consumption. The student will be drained of money quickly resorting to illegal means to get money which will sustain their craving for alcohol through stealing, conning or defrauding parents or institution (Oshri et al. 510). Other studies reveal up to 38 percent of theft cases in colleges were linked to alcoholism.

Drunk driving behaviors among college students

Drink driving is another risky behavior by students capable of causing severe injuries or loss of lives. The indulgence can happen in post-parties activities when the students return to their places, and everyone present is drunk; therefore, it becomes apparent that one of them has to drive the rest to their homes (Caetano et al. 441). Alternatively, a student can be alone a situation that will force them to sit behind the steering and drive home. Driving while drunk seriously affects the students’ cognitive capacity. They develop sight impairment which affects their visioning making them vulnerable to accidents (Cook et al. 1025). Also, lack of steadiness and delay in reaction due to the effects of the drug will pose extreme danger to their lives and those of other motorists.

Statistic reveals that cases of drunk are more rampant among the youth between 19 - 22 years with either the passengers or drivers being in the same state. The cost for driving while drunk is extremely huge pondering on the possibility of accident, injuries, and loss of lives. Some studies have shown that close to one thousand, eight hundred and twenty-five students succumb to alcohol-related injuries annually (Albers et al. 1835). Police can also apprehend the victim and charge them in a court of law which will attract massive expenses to deal with the lawsuits. The consequence of driving while drunk can also ripple to the academic life of the student. Apparently, the college can decide to institute punitive measures on the victims which might include suspending them, denying them scholarships or other financial aid among many other measures.

Risks of sexual assault

Alcohol drug abuse can seriously impact on the ethics of an individual because of lack of their soberness. A certain vulnerable group can be at risk of sexual abuse when they lose a sense of their surrounding, become physically weak and lose the ability to think straight and be rational (Cook et al. 1024). The decision-making capacity of the drunkard is greatly affected. Thus they can do anything or commit offense unconsciously. Research by the Washington Post-kaiser family asserts that twenty-five and seven percent of female and male respectively had been compromised by sexual advances while at school (Albers et al. 1840). Consequently, many of these cases ended up to sexual activity with risks of contracting sexually transmitted diseases or unwanted pregnancies.

Alcohol-related injuries and other health issues

Alcohol abuse puts the health of an individual at risk of contracting diseases and conditions. Also, an individual is prone to damages due to loss of balance and impaired vision after being drunk. Due to the reduction of physical strength, an individual becomes vulnerable to attacks and accidents because of decreased mobility skills (Oshriet al. 508). Some of the injuries will include cuts, bruises, and fractured bones. Other studies reveal that close to one fifty thousand students become victims of alcohol-related health problems annually (Albers et al. 1834). Excessive drinking of alcohol is harmful and might lead to high blood pressure, sexual importance, liver damage, stomach ulcers among many more disease. A student would be in great trouble if they had to conduct these conditions and disease because they will seriously threaten their academic lives. Moreover, addiction poses the risk of alcohol poisoning when the students consume alcohol in large amounts over short period resulting in a toxic build up in their systems (Cook et al. 1026). The situation can aggravate if not adequately addressed to causing loss of life.

Measures to prevent college alcoholism

Alcohol education

Parents should prepare and counsel students regarding the college life and the foreseeable challenges. Alcohol abuse is one of the commonest cultures which parents ought to warn their children the dangers linked with using the drug and guide them to resist peer influence or compromising situations that might tempt them to take alcohol.

Stress Management Education

Stress form one of the reasons which compel students to abuse alcohol. They deem alcohol as perfect anti-depressants; thus, consume the drug occasionally or when they experience stress. Therefore, proper education should be done to enlighten the students that alcohol simply escalates their stress situation instead of resolving (Caetano et al. 447). Counseling department should guide the students on how to face and resolve their problems building a better and confident personality.

Dealing with students’ alcoholism

Owing to the challenges alcohol poses to the young generation, it is prudent to have measures to regulate or restrict its access by the minors. Some of the preventive and solving mechanisms that can be adopted would include:

Firstly, the authorities should tighten the rules on alcohol purchase to be stricter for underage to access alcohol. If implemented, this policy will massively reduce drinking in learning institutions with charges instituted against those business or individuals who will be found culpable of selling the drug to the students. Secondly, it is important to offer education to the community and college students on the dangers of alcohol abuse thereby empowering them to make the right decisions (Cook et al. 1021). Some students indulge in risky drinking behaviorism because of lack of awareness and guidance on the right path to follow while in college.

Additionally, institutions should create and support treatment and recovery health facilities fighting to reform and rehabilitate the alcoholic among the students and the larger community. The program gives a second chance to the victims and improves their quality of lives thus saving potential problems that would have been caused by the alcoholics.

Works Cited

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brand choice among underage drinkers: Are the most popular alcoholic brands consumed by youth the cheapest? Substance Use & Misuse, vol. 49, no. 13, 2014, pp. 1833–1843.

Caetano R, Ramisetty-Milker S, and Rodriguez LA. The Hispanic Americans Baseline

Alcohol Survey (HABLAS): Rates and predictors of alcohol abuse and dependence across Hispanic national groups. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, vol. 69, no. 3, 2008, pp. 441–448.

Cook WK, Karriker-Jaffe KJ, Bond J, and Lui C. Asian American problem drinking

trajectories during the transition to adulthood: Ethnic drinking cultures and neighborhood contexts. American Journal of Public Health, vol. 105, no. 5, 2014, pp. 1020–1027. 

Oshri, Assaf et al. “Alcohol-Impaired Driving: The Influence Of Adverse Rearing

Environments, Alcohol, Cannabis Use, And The Moderating Role Of Anxiety.” Substance Use & Misuse, vol. 52, no. 4, 2016, pp. 507-517. Informa UK Limited, doi:10.1080/10826084.2016.1245336.

Taylor, Purcell et al. “Improving Alcohol Screening For College Students: Screening

For Alcohol Misuse Amongst College Students With A Simple Modification To The CAGE Questionnaire.” Journal of American College Health, vol 64, no. 5, 2016, pp. 397-403. Informa UK Limited, doi:10.1080/07448481.2016.1168429.