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Rachel Buckley, Tyler Cardwell, Daniel Faber, Cody Gross, Taylor Neyer, Autumn Neyome,
Hunter Rohrer, Mike Winnie, Hannah Yesmunt
Mr . Jay Gross
English 12 B (3)
13 May 2014
Drinking Problems on College Campuses
Showing up to a college party with friends is an exciting thing to do, but having to return
the next morning to identify the dead body of a close friend is not. Almost all college students
experience the effects of college drinking, whether they choose to consume alcohol or not. There
are two kinds of drinking, social drinking and binge drinking. Social drinking is when a few
drinks are consumed at a social gathering, and on the other hand binge drinking is defined as the
consumption of an excessive amount of alcohol in a short period of time. It is not just the
drinking that causes a problem, but the negative consequences of drinking. College drinking can
lead to sexual abuse for both men and women. Binge drinking, and even casual drinking by
students can lead to problems such as falling behind academically. Students may attempt to deny
that there are binge drinking problems on campus, but the problems are there. Colleges must
raise awareness by educating students about the harmful effects alcohol has on the body and on a
persons psyche.
With four out of five college students drinking, many people feel the effects of this
problem. Although it might start out as casual drinking, it can lead to blurred judgement and
irrational decisions. More than 97,000 students who are between the ages of 18 and 24 are
victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or other wise known as date rape (College Drinking 1).
There are many people who are not aware of how prevalent sexual assault is or what commonly
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causes it to occur. Looking at statistics, in 2004 almost 1 in 20 of women report a rape, and 72
percent of the victims reported being intoxicated while being raped (Binge Drinking,Rape). In
the United States., alcohol is one of the most commonly used psychoactive drugs, along with
tobacco and caffeine. More than 80% of Americans report having consumed alcohol at some
point in their lives with use as high as 90% (NIAA). College students need to be educated better
on the negative effects that drinking can cause, being that the percents are exceptionally high for
sexual assault and rape while intoxicated.

Students who are regularly drinking or binge drinking often tend to fall behind on their
coursework. About 25% of college students who drink openly admit that their drinking habits
cause them to miss classes, fall behind, do poorly on exams, or even just a general lower grade
(College Drinking 2). This can cause failure and it can leave students out of hundreds, if not
thousands, of dollars when having to pay for classes the student did not complete due to being
irresponsible for drinking. As much as 40% of college students with academic problems report
abusing alcohol (Effects of Drugs and Alcohol on Academic Life 1). Excessive drinking is a
major cause of students dropping out, affecting their education and leaving them with huge loans
to repay.

Some students may attempt to deny that there are any drinking problems on campus, but
there really is and a drinking problem is only the start. Consuming such high levels of alcohol at
such young ages can lead to worse things in the future, such as becoming an alcoholic. Its never
easy to see when drinking has crossed the line, and this is why so many people will never realize
they are an alcoholic. "A lot of them are not seeking help for drinking problems. They are
seeking help for depression or relationship problems. The alcohol problems are present, but they
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don't think they have a problem because they don't drink any more than their friends do, says
Jeff Hayes, Penn State professor of education and psychology and a licensed psychologist (How
Serious is the Binge Drinking Problem? 1).

College is supposed to be a great life experience where young adults get to try new things
and become new people, but students are crossing the line. Now it is a question of safety.
Students are creating unhealthy habits that will affect them for the rest of their lives. Excessive
drinking can lead to sexual abuse for both men and women. Binge drinking and even casual
drinking by students can lead to problems such as falling behind academically. Students may
attempt to deny that there are binge drinking problems on campus, but the problems are there.
Colleges must raise awareness by educating students about the harmful effects alcohol does to
the body and brain. It is possible to still have a good college experience without binge drinking.







Bibliography
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<http://www2.potsdam.edu/alcohol/YouthIssues/1048595436.html#.U3IkO_ldWT8>.
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"Binge Drinking, Rape Are Related." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 12 Feb. 2004. Web. 13 May
2014.
"College Drinking." National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Web. 13 May
2014. <http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/special-populations-co-occurring-
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inking>.
"Probing Question: How Serious Is the Binge Drinking Problem on College Campuses?" News.
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13 May 2014.
<http://news.psu.edu/story/286174/2013/09/05/research/probing-question-how-serious-
binge-
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"Sexual Assault Statistics."One In Four USA. Web. 12 May 2014.
<http://www.oneinfourusa.org/statistics.php>.

https://www.fit.edu/caps/documents/effects%20of%20drugs.pdf