Causes and Effects of the Binge Drinking College Lifestyle, Essay Example

Although the issue of minimum legal drinking age in the United States has not been the focal point of most political platforms since the age of 21 was declared necessary for liquor purchase, activist John McCardell has been pursuing an age requirement drop to 18 to, as he believes, positively counteract the modern trend of binge drinking in young, college-aged Americans.  McCardell has come up against heavy criticisms concerning his controversial Amethyst Initiative, however, mostly from important federal institutions that maintain the viewpoint that a higher age limit equals fewer underage drinkers and fewer ‘binge drinkers’: “the comprehensive College Alcohol Study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health characterized binge drinking as five drinks for men and four drinks for women on a single occasion within the past 2 weeks” (Courtney and Polich).

The causes of college binge drinking are numerous and often related to individual characteristics, however various research on the subject shows that a general lack of education on the topic of alcohol and personal responsibility may be to blame.  In keeping with the Amethyst Initiative, this theory agrees with the idea that adult role models would benefit young adults in a social drinking situation; the current age requirement separates mature adults from beginning drinkers, however, based on statistics that show college students drinking between the ages of 18 and 20.  Whatever manner of education concerning alcohol has failed each individual college binge drinker leads to a myriad of social, physical and mental illnesses as the man or woman ages.  These include career issues, alcoholism, depression, compulsive disorders, cognitive and memory issues as well as hypertension.  The effects of alcohol also lead to traffic accidents, irresponsible sexual acts and social deviancy.

John McCardell travels throughout America trying to convince government authorities to drop the legal drinking age to 18 because he believes that “alcohol is a reality in the lives of 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds. And prohibition doesn’t work” (Baldauf). He wants the United States to give adults from the age of 18 to 20 the opportunity to complete an alcohol education course to earn a valid alcohol-purchasing license.  McCardell believes that he has witnessed the American drinking culture change since the inception of the 21 year minimum, and that binge drinking is a modern phenomenon closely related to this legislation.

By lowering the American drinking age to 18, the founder of the nonprofit group Choose Responsibility thinks that young adults will be able to learn new socialization skills to mix with older adults and also learn basic etiquette surrounding alcohol use.  McCardell bases most of his argument on the fact that underage teenagers will find alcohol whether it is legal or not; he believes it is better for parents and other adult role models to see and be able to monitor this behavior as soon as possible, thus in a very comprehensive sense educating these young adults about responsible social behavior that involves alcohol being present.  The Amethyst Initiative promotes a revamp of the current drinking legislation based on three observations of modern American college society: “ Alcohol education that mandates abstinence as the only legal option has not resulted in significant constructive behavioral change among our students; Adults under twenty-one are deemed capable of voting, signing contracts, serving on juries, and enlisting in the military, but are told they are not mature enough to have a beer; and By choosing to use fake IDs, students make ethical compromises that erode respect for the law” (Wallace).

A study looking at the role of social networking in college drinking suggest that perceived drinking norms of college students from different social groups were proportionately related to the actual amount of drinking done by the individual (Farrow).  Sherry Farrow, Ph.D. calls college a “transitional period between the ages of 18 and 25 [that] has been seen by some authors as a distinct developmental stage”.  During this stage young adults are often newly freed from the rules of their parental home, however they remain free of traditional adult responsibilities like raising a family and holding down a regular job.  The fact that modern American society has evolved to allow young adults the opportunity to pursue further education, travel the world through volunteer programs and other related activities means that marriage, children and the full-time career gets pushed back several years later than it traditionally has been.  This elongation of young adulthood not only gives teenagers and people in their early twenties a chance at college degrees and higher paying jobs after graduation, it gives more young people than ever before the chance to settle into college-style living.  Whereas in decades past, the aptitude and money required for college were more scarce, most high school students today are expected by their parents or teachers to attend college.  The mindset of most college student bodies is therefore less inclined to gain top grades and more focused on fitting in socially.

“Research has suggested that there is an increase in the importance of peers and the broader social network as these changes occur, with peers representing a major source of social support” (Ibid). College students find themselves pressured to make new friends and are searching for ways to avoid social exclusion and discomfort throughout their college experience.  Drinking alcohol has been established as the main socially acceptable way to make friends in college, and research shows that the mere presence of a college peer group (as opposed to the internal familial peer group) raises the likelihood of binge drinking during this phase of life.  “Other individual level factors, such as ethnicity, religiosity, and personality traits such as extraversion and neuroticism are also associated with college drinking” (Ibid).

The NIAAA conducted a study on 265 college students who were found guilty of illegal alcohol or drug use to determine whether one-on-one counseling offered a viable intervention solution.  Those select students in counseling sessions clearly lowered their alcohol intake over a 90 day period when compared to their counterparts.  In similar studies, counseling trials have been proven useful in educating college students about the realities of their own drinking and thereby reduced the intake of the participants.  These results suggest that it was a lack of education and understanding about alcohol that contributed to abusive tendencies towards drinking in many college students in the United States (Mitka).

Researchers with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) report a rising percentage of students who are drinking in college, as well as a rise in the number of alcohol-related accidents and the number of students who admit to driving under the influence of alcohol.  The numbers rose from the first report in 1998 to around 3% higher in 2005 in each case, although Mike Mitka points out that this increase did not include students under the age of 21, and the 2005 data for students driving under the influence of alcohol represented a decrease from 2002 statistics (Mitka).  There is, however, clearly an increase in college drinking, and specifically an increase in college binge drinking.

This increase has American authorities nervous and not inclined to readily agree with the Amethyst Initiative.  In particular, the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office has expressed considerable doubt about McCardell’s idea, citing alcohol-related “…deaths…injuries…risky sexual behavior…risk of assault, academic failure and illicit drug use” (Wallace) as sound reasoning to keep the over-21 law.  Less physically obvious effects of binge drinking are also under close study by professionals. Psychologists have compiled statistics that show how “binge drinking may alter neurophysiological and neurocognitive function”, and say that  “this type of drinking also is associated with alcohol poisoning, unintentional injuries, suicide, hypertension, pancreatitis, sexually transmitted diseases, and meningitis” (Bierut et al).  Research on animals shows a significant trend towards memory loss and other brain injuries due to neurodegeneration through binge drinking.

When compiled, all relevant research on college binge drinking strongly suggests that the sudden culture shock of college, unfamiliarity with adult roles involving alcohol, and a general lack of education concerning alcohol all are contributors.  A further lack of intervention in the college age group leads not only to individual mental and physical ailments, some permanent and disabling, but also to deviant, criminal behavior such as drunk driving that may lead to the harm or death of others.

Works Cited

Baldauf, Sarah. “Setting the Bar at 18.” U.S. News & World Report (April 23, 2007). Web. 4 November 2009.

Bierut, Laura; Grucza, Richard A.; Norberg, Karen E. “Binge Drinking Among Youths and Young Adults in the United States: 1979-2006”. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry July 2009, Vol.48, No.7;692-702. Print.

Courtney, Kelly E. and Polich, John. “Binge drinking in young adults: Data, definitions, and determinants”. Psychological Bulletin Vol.135(1),(January 2009),142-156. American Psychological Association. Print.

Farrow, Sherry M., Ph.D. “A closer look at the impact of peer influences on college drinking: Testing moderation of normative drinking perceptions by social network characteristics”. State University of New York at Buffalo AAT 3342096, (2009). State University of New York at Buffalo. Print.

Mitka, Mike. “College Binge Drinking Still on the Rise”. Journal of American Medical Association 302(8) (2009):836-837. Print.

Wallace, Stephen. “The Over/Under”. The Camping Magazine Jan/Feb 2009, Vol.82, Iss.1;70. Print.