It is shockingly to even think that a “normal” student who consumes alcohol takes approximately a week’s time to get his cells back to normal, so if a student drinks every weekend, this student would never be back to his
senses. According to rates done recently “80% of high school seniors have had a drink in the last month . Over two million of those drank alcoholically.” (National Treatment Referral) It is really a matter of concern among these college students, because the alcohol consumption among these students is increasing higher every year. Is this trend helping the students in any approach? It is in fact shattering their lives, especially for college students as this over use problem has made them academically weaker each year. Researchers believe that “teen alcoholism is a behavior pattern that needs to be identified early to avoid serious consequences.” (National Treatment Referral) It is very necessary that a college student knows their priorities and their limits, and plan responsibly.
First, it would be helpful to know the word definitions of over-consumption or over-drinking. In theory there is no fixed definition of these words. It depends on each and how they define it. Over-consumption of alcohol among students is drinking to an amount above their individual capacity, and according to NIAAA “It has been estimated that over three million teenagers are out-and-out alcoholics. Several million more have a serious drinking problem that they cannot manage on their own.” (NIAAA) It’s very necessary that one knows what our own capacity is, and if we try to cross this amount we can say we are intoxicated or wasted.
National Institute on Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism say that adolescents who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21. (NIAAA) Overdrinking is damaging and a serious problem. There is always an thrill among some teenagers concerning the age limit to legally drink, and the waiting of age to drink. These are all the physiological uncertainties that these teenagers have, which runs through their mind.
However, these age groups have definitely lost their self-charge. These teenagers feel over-drinking indicate their up-and-coming maturity, plus feeling they look cool while consuming alcohol. Some of these teenage students feel that after their busy days or schedule, overdrinking can somehow help them to lack stress and make them feel relaxed. Some of these students often feel that it helps them build their self-confidence. Some of these teenagers often feel curiosity to consume alcohol but nevertheless, they are
old enough to know their limits and responsibilities.
Students have started taking excessive advantage of their independence which is ruining their careers and it’s influencing their academics sturdily. National Statement Referral states that “Alcohol is a drug that alters the mind and body but it is also accepted by society and gets a positive message from the media and promotions that glamorize alcohol usage.” (National Treatment Referral) There are many other disadvantages of overdrinking. We suffer from many physical injuries because we are not mentally in our senses, and it’s the next morning that we come to know about these injuries. Sometimes drinking can be such a problem to our friends, family and to our colleagues.
One of the most dangerous elements of over-drinking is drinking and driving. Is over-drinking of alcohol so crucial that these teenagers have to sacrifice their lives for the same? According to Focus Adolescent Services every fifteen minutes someone dies from an alcohol-related automobile accident. Each weekend, each hour, a teenager dies in a car crash. Fully fifty percent of those crashes will involve alcohol. (Focus Adolescent Services) Over-drinking can affect the personality of these teenagers as well, “dependence on alcohol and other drugs is also associated with several psychiatric problems, such as: depression, anxiety, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), antisocial personality disorder. And The three leading causes of death for 15- to 24-year-olds are automobile crashes, homicides and suicides — alcohol is a leading factor in all three.”
(Focus Adolescent Services) Teenagers who cannot control themselves can’t do so much in this competitive world. There are many ways to come out of this situations. Group counseling could be started in college or professionally and may be included as an extra credit classes as a motivation for the students to attend these meetings. National Treatment Referral has access to recovery centers and treatment facilities with specialized programs for teenagers. The earlier teen alcoholism is caught the more successful the treatment and recovery. Focus Adolescent Services also states that “lack of parental support, monitoring, and communication have been significantly related to frequency of drinking, heavy drinking, and drunkenness among adolescents. Harsh, inconsistent discipline and hostility or rejection toward children has also been found to significantly predict adolescent drinking and alcohol-related problems. Special Awareness programs should be conducted on the campus in the form of theatre which can encourage them. Strong laws should be implemented against campus drinking. Instead of warning students for three times, a single warning should be implemented.” (Focus Adolescent Services) Legal measurements should become stricter on implementing these laws. If servers and vendors of alcohol apply these rules severely, than, there are definite chances in decreasing alcohol use among teens. In today’s society, the internet is becoming such a pertinent tool and many students rely on it, so by sharing articles on the internet can also help these teenage students to manage their alcohol redistribution use. Advertisements are a general role for these teenage students to have a “control-over” their drinking habits. According to an alcohol advertisement survey “two-thirds of parents say that seeing and hearing alcohol ads make teens more likely to drink alcohol, and almost three-quarters of parents say that alcohol companies are not doing enough to limit the amount of alcohol advertising that teens see, according to a survey conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates and American Viewpoint for the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University.” (T. Buddy)
Consequently, after looking to all these facts, it is essential these students realize the destructive of alcohol and to have the appropriate control over their alcohol consumption. Although, the curiosity of the teenagers can be over-powering, it should not be at the cost of their learning, career and most prominently, their lives. Students who are at the age of eighteen, are old enough to take their choices and know what their responsibilities are, and wait until they are twenty-one to drink responsibly.
Works Cited
T, Buddy. “About: Alcoholism & Substance Abuse.” About. 13 July 2003. 20 Mar. 2007
“NIAAA.” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. 19 Mar. 2007
“National Treatment Refferal.” http://www.alcoholism-symptoms.com. 20 Mar. 2007