Alcohol abuse amongst college students is a very common and unfortunate occurrence. For a person to be impaired by alcohol their blood alcohol level must be greater than .08 and this is commonly achieved by drinking several drinks within a short 2-hour time frame. Men will typically reach this blood alcohol level by drinking 5 or more alcoholic drinks within a 120-minute time frame. Women achieve the blood alcohol level greater than .08 by drinking more than 4 alcoholic beverages within 120 minutes.

What Is So Dangerous About Drinking More Than 4 or 5 Drinks Within 2 Hours?

When one’s blood alcohol level is greater than. 08 they can become physically impaired. This means that all motor skills are slowed down. Some individuals will actually vomit or pass out after consuming so much alcohol. When passed out this leaves them susceptible to becoming victims of sexual assaults, robbery and other crimes. Those who decide to drink and drive can find themselves too impaired to operate a motor vehicle. They can swerve, drive into oncoming traffic, cause an accident and even take a life with their vehicle.

Why Are College Students More Prone To Drinking Too Much?

College students are typically more prone to excessive drinking because they are immature and do not realize that their actions have consequences, sometimes dire. They are young adults that have finally gotten some freedom from their parents’ watchful eyes. They are now responsible for taking care of themselves, driving themselves everywhere, working and maintaining good grades while in college. These young adults feel as though they have earned to right to participate in adult actions but they often do not understand the consequences of over-indulging. They are at an age level where they are still prone to peer pressure and often have a hard time saying no. Another contributing factor is the fact that they are not all of legal drinking age yet. When 18-20-year-old young adults are invited to college parties where alcohol is being served, they often over-partake because they don't know when they'll have the opportunity to indulge again.

How Can College Students Learn Moderation?

Learning about underage drinking and moderation all starts at home. Parents must talk to their children in High School and reiterate the importance before they leave for college. They must educate their children on the consequences of drinking too much but also make them understand that there are options if they do drink too much. When young adults feel as though they drank too much and must leave a bad situation, they must know that they can ride-share or hire a driving service to get them out of a dangerous situation. If they do not have the funds to do this, they must feel comfortable reaching out to family for help. Obviously, this behavior should not be a repeated occurrence but young adults must know that they are going to make mistakes and that family and loved ones are there to help them learn and not repeat dangerous mistakes.

Parents also must discuss drinking in moderation and the dangers of over-indulging when it comes to alcoholic beverages. They must help their loved ones understand that everything in moderation is ok but when it becomes too much that can become a problem and cause disruptions in daily activities, education, work and life in general. Anyone who suspects a loved one is addicted to alcohol must give them resources to acquire help. Support groups such as alcoholics anonymous, church lead addiction crisis groups, online zoom councilors, and addiction phone hotlines are all ways for people to reach out and get the help they may need to overcome their alcohol addiction. College students must learn that while they are away at school they are expected to learn how to become functioning and well-rounded adults and that college is not just for partying.

Scholarship

To help address this immense problem, Alcohol Services is sponsoring  a $1,000 humanitarian scholarship award for 2 students attending undergraduate or graduate programs. Currently, there are two iterations of the award available – one for spring of 2021 and one for summer of 2021. To get more detail, and apply for this award, visit https://www.alcoholservices.org