The Dangers of Binge Drinking

College alcoholism is something that affects millions of teens every year. When moving away from your parents and moving onto campus is a time where many students decide to experiment with alcohol. It is estimated that 50 percent of students engage in binge drinking. The dangers that can come out of binge drinking include, blacking out, injuries, risky decisions, or even death.

Many young adults have admitted to have started drinking even before they have entered college or university. After graduating from their high school is when their alcohol usage intensifies due to their newfound freedom and independence.

What is Binge Drinking?

Binge drinking is defined when a person drinks an excessive amount of alcohol in a very short timeframe. This definition of binge drinking varies between gender. For women it is drinking at least four or more drinks in two hours and for men it is drinking five or more drinks in a two hour time period.

It has been mentioned that teens are at a higher risk period of binge drinking during their first few weeks of being at university. When first coming to college or university many tend to fall into peer pressure which results in them drinking way too much that they can handle. These people want to fit in and make new friends so they keep drinking without paying attention to the potential harms they are causing to themselves.

The Consequences of Heavy Drinking in College

Nearly majority of students have been faced with the consequences of alcohol use during their school year. For example, a student can witness their friends drinking pattern worsen over time throughout the school year. Heavy drinking does not only affect that person but it can also effect others surrounded by that person. For example, it can ruin friendships and relationships.

How are schools intervening?

The most effective way schools handle this situation is something called the population prevention approach. Universities had often treated alcohol as an individual problem. The efforts to target these people individually has not shown any efforts to reduce the number of heavy drinkers on campus. Whereas, with the population prevention approach targets the entire college university as a whole to reduce the number of binge drinkers on campus. The population approach has been found to be the most effective in reducing the harm of college students becoming heavy drinkers.

Committing criminal activities

Being under the influence of alcohol can result in a person in acting very irrationally and sometimes violent. Drinking too much can entirely change a persons behavior. Many actions a person does when drunk, they would not do if they were sober. Highly intoxicated students can bring tons of danger. For example, they can partake in activities such as vandalism, property damage, and driving under the influence.

Sometimes drinking too much can result in others being in danger as well. Kidnapping, homicide, and other harmful criminal activities is very possible when a student is under the influence.

---

SCHOOL SHOOTINGS

What leads to school shootings?

There have been 3 main academic perspectives that explain why this phenomena may occur. The first one being violence in the media can increase violence, second is the school environment creates exclusion, and the last one being something called the copy cat Phenomenon.

1. The media can increase violence

Can the media really cause an increase in violence? The media causing an increase in violence is a very controversial topic. Whenever we turn on the TV or watch a movie at a movie theater you will most often see violence there. Nearly two thirds of tv programs contain at least some form of physical violence. One of the major concerns is violence in video games that contain too much violent content for children.

Bobo Doll experiment

The bobo doll experiment was done to test and see if violence can occur if watching violence in the media. The experiment involved someone abusing a doll and wanted to see if when the children watches someone abusing the doll will they do the same? They wanted to see if the same effects are applied to watching violence in the media.

2. The school environment creates exclusion

When looking at school shooters it is also important to look at the shooters experience inside of the school. Many of school shooters have suffered from being bullied inside of the school.

Today we are living in a society where people will frown upon those that may seem different. Everyone’s experience at a school has witnessed students that just do not fit in into groups that the students create. A lot of these kids that do not fit in do not know that being isn’t really a bad thing but when facing intense bullying can push a kid over the line.

3. Copy cat phenomenon

Another phenomenon that may influence a school shooting can be due to media coverage inspiring that person to copy cat a mass shooting. Many violent events are often covered by the media and stories often spread widely in different ways such as other media outlets such as social media or hearing people talk about the stories the news has covered.

Many experts believe that some of these media coverages on violence can inspire others to re create these crimes in a similar manner. When shooters are covered in the media they receive tons of attention, their name, face picture and story is shared everywhere. Some people strive to receive this type of attention and will do anything to get it.

In the media, school shootings tend to get the most attention. Whenever an incident happens it is spread through mass media and social media and they lay out the shooters motivations as to why he did what he did.

Student shooter profile
1. Lack of skills to solve social problems

2. Lack of empathy and poor anger control
3. Sense of superiority
4. Negative ‘schemata’ of others
5. 3⁄4 suffers from depression or suicidal thoughts
6. 3⁄4 experienced direct bullying or victimization

SOURCES:

“Does Media Coverage Inspire Copy Cat Mass Shootings?” National Center for Health Research, 5 Sept. 2019, http://www.center4research.org/copy-cats-kill/.

Chatterjee, Rhitu. “Mass Shootings Can Be Contagious, Research Shows.” NPR, NPR, 6 Aug. 2019, www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/08/06/748767807/mass-shootings-can-be-contagious-research-shows.

“Binge Drinking Is a Serious but Preventable Problem of Excessive Alcohol Use.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30 Dec. 2019, http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/binge-drinking.htm.

Collins, Ben. “Heavy Drinking a Problem at Most Canadian Campuses: Report.” University Affairs, http://www.universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/heavy-drinking-a-problem-at-most-canadian-campuses-report/.

Follow My Blog

Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.