Alcohol is the preferred drug of choice among young people. It is to be noted to some 1700 students die due to drunken driving or other alcohol –related incidents every year in U. S. A alone. According to Henry Wechsler and Bernice Wuethrich, teenage drinking may lead to blackouts, hangovers, probable lethal alcohol poisoning, injury, impaired driving, property damage, poor grades and a loss of control. Further, it affects teenager’s important areas of brain that influence reasoning skills and decision-making process. It also leads to slower learning skills during adolescence.
[Mantel, 2006]. Research study carried over by Crum et al reveals that early symptoms linked with probable depressive conditions in childhood assisted to predict and account for later alcohol involvement extending across life stages from childhood through young adulthood. [Medline, 2008]. College students in the age group of 18 to 24 are most vulnerable groups for binge drinking. Drinking causes mental health issues, suicidal tendency, commission of violent gun crimes and homicides. Binge drinking college students are most dangerous and the Virginia Tech shooting incident has proved this.
Strict control over binge drinking in college campus would have prevented shooting rampage by Seeing –Hui Cho’s which had taken away the life of 32 Americans. [Kenneth Jost, 2007]. It is to be noted that alcohol is a depressant and decelerate most of the body’s critical functions. Binge drinking may result in unconsciousness and then death because the lungs and heart can be damaged irreparably. One may be diagnosed with alcohol poisoning if there are signs of seizures, hypothermia, slow and irregular breathing. Unattended alcohol poisoning may result in hypothermia, acute dehydration and hypoglycemia.
[Mantel,2006]. About 21 children are admitted in the hospital after binge drinking everyday in U. S. A alone and now more teenagers are being given treatment for alcohol –associated liver disease namely cirrhosis. Since 2000, cirrhosis has killed teenagers more than that of breast and cervical cancer and in the 12 months from April 2004 onwards, about 7600 teenagers were admitted for alcohol related disease. The government 24-hour drinking policy is said to be culprit for the increase in violent crime and changing the streets into ‘vomit alleys’ by teenagers.
According to National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuses [CASA], there is 300% growth in teenage drinking in USA since 1975 and female ninth graders are as competing as that of their male colleagues in drinking. Further, alcohol is linked to the top three reasons for teen deaths: homicide, suicide and drink and drive deaths. Alcohol also plays a significant role in immature and probable dangerous sexual behavior. Alcohol-tempted sexual behavior can lead to vulnerable sexual habits thereby resulting in contracting AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases and teenage pregnancy. [Cristol, 2002].
Alcohol consumption often has been referred as increasing adolescents’ risk of HIV and many studies have shown direct relationships between risky sexual behavior and drinking especially among adolescents. One research study revealed that relative to tax rates before alcohol policy changes, rates of gonorrhea infection dwindled in states that augmented their beer tax or raised the minimum legal age for drinking. Further, most of the studies revealed that drinking and unsafe sex are having direct correlation. Thus, it has been clearly established from these studies that binge drinking by teenagers is a cause of risky sexual practices.
[Diane et al, 2003]. Young adults and teenagers in Great Britain are the most awful binge-drinkers in the globe. It is funny to note both Ireland and Britain, girls booze more than boys among all European states. Statistics on teenage drinking Official statistics on teenage drinking in U. S. A. USE OF ALCOHOL IN THE AGE GROUP 12 TO 17 IN U. S. A. 1985 1990 1995 1997 1998 Use of Alcohol 41. 2 32. 5 21. 1 20. 5 19. 1 Source: U. S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.
Alarming rates of alcohol use among adolescent girls demand for early research on gender-specific risk and protective factors for substance abuse. Schinke et all in their survey of 780 adolescent girls and their mothers found that there existed relationships between girl’s abuse of alcohol and girl’s after-school destinations , depression , maternal drinking attitudes , family norms and mother-daughter interactions which induced substance use. The findings of study have implications for the immediate implementation of responsive gender-specific prevention programs.
A research study conducted by Herman et al in 2002 and 2003 has found out that about 12% of 8000 samples of those adolescents living with their mother and whose mother is suffering from serious psychological distress [SPD] engaged in binge drinking. Harvard’s “College Alcohol Study” exposed that the students engaged in binge drinking were about 44. 5% in 2001 which is roughly the same as in the year 2000 also. The Michigan’s “Monitoring the Future “ survey also exposed that college students engaged in binge drinking was about 42% in 2004 which is roughly same as that of year 1990 but less than 1980.
[Mantel,2006]. In 2001, an estimated 1,720 college students aged between 18 and 24 died due to alcohol –related accidental injuries, including accident during dash driving which is an increase of 6% over the deaths of 1576 in 1998. [Mantel, 2006]. Healthy people 2010 offer 467 goals to enhance the health of Americans by the year 2010. Since these goals are national oriented, not Federal only, but the achievement of these goals is to be executed at all echelons of the government and by non-governmental organizations also to evaluate these goals. What can be done to help?
Government policies on alcohol have to be revised and an urgent action is required to be taken to safeguard the safety and health of the public. A combination of medical bodies, charities and parent’s group have urged the government to increase the tax on alcohol and even a just 10% increase in alcohol price would reduce the alcohol linked deaths by up to 30% A survey indicates that limited or lack of parental supervision is the main barricade to limiting teen drinking issues and ineffective enforcement of present underage drinking laws. [Cristol, 2002].
Wechsler and Wuethrich has revealed that transforming college drinking atmosphere will significantly improve student’s mental attitudes towards alcohol and offset the social forces that encourage binge drinking. To reduce the drinking among college students, American colleges are employing online tools to minimize excessive drinking. About 2,400 college campuses are employing an interactive course namely “Alcohol 101 Plus” which has been designed by the Century Council, a nonprofit organization funded by American distilleries that encourages responsible drinking.
Further, about 500 colleges now mandate that students should take “AlcoholEdu” which has been designed by Outside the Classroom, a private organization which is being funded by no alcohol –industry money. Further, many schools are now pursuing a strategy namely ‘Environmental Management’ in which efforts are being pursued to alter or change social ,physical ,legal and economic environment in which college students make choices over drinking.
Further , a majority of schools now offer alcohol –free or substance-free housing and some recent study reveals that one out of three schools now proscribes alcohol on campus for all students and more than about 41% now restrict use of alcohol at homecoming ,athletic contests , dances , tailgate parties , concerts and other events. [Mantel,2006]. Existence of drinking among College Students. [In percentage].