Cause & Effect of Binge Drinking Essay

Words: 1250
Pages: 5

What do failing grades, frequent memory lapses, fights, brutal hangovers and unplanned sexual activity all have in common? They are all frequent results of binge drinking by college students. On a typical Friday or Saturday night you can find the average college student out drinking and having fun. Normally partying with friends at a party, bar, or club; most of these college students are underage consuming excessive amounts of alcohol, or as its better known, “binge drinking.”The term binge drinking is defined as the consumption of five or more drinks in a row by men and four or more drinks in a row by women, at least once in a two week period. “One” drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine, or one shot of liquor. Alcohol …show more content…
Drinking for social reasons plays an important role in gestures of interest between males and females. College students are also binge drink for social reasons when celebrating a victory associated with athletics. It is at parties where college students can socialize to music and consume large amounts of alcohol and become “socially accepted” and “fit in.”With academic stress comes binge drinking; college students binge drink as a prescription to relax. Cramming for exams or finals, maintaining a job, varsity sports, along with maintaining a social life, are all main factors contributing to the cause of binge drinking on campus. College students use binge drinking as a way to relax and unwind from stress and deal with pressure. It’s so easy for college students to get caught up in the newfound freedom of adulthood.

Peer pressure is another key factor of why college students binge drink. In a press article, researcher Dr. Remi Qurion said, “If you are a risk-taker, often the friends around you will be risk-takers too, and sometimes when you are a teenager it's a bit harder to say, ‘Wait a minute, I don't want to go that far.’” He also states that, “Peer pressure is a key factor. It is probably, at the end of the day, more important than your genetic background.” Since we become influenced by peer pressure at an early age and because binge drinking is etched in out heads of being a social norm of the college life, it makes sense that the peer pressure carries over to