This is the 8th in a series of blog entries addressing binge drinking among college students. We have reached the phase of the discussion where we look at motivators. More directly – why – despite all the information about the negative consequences associated with alcohol use – do college students continue to drink to excess in mass numbers?
In the previous blog entry I asserted that the primary motivating factor for alcohol use in college was to enrich the social experience. As reported in atlanta.cbslocal.com.
Mindset and Habit
Alcohol has become as big a part of college life as textbooks and football games. It pervades college social life.
They engage in binge drinking despite knowing that possible negative consequences include addiction, poor academic performance, violence, drunk driving, suicide, sexually transmitted diseases – the list is so long of what’s linked to alcohol abuse, especially in the late teens and early 20s.
The expectations of a college experience centered around alcohol have made class after incoming class of college freshmen see drinking as an unavoidable part of higher education.
Most kids don’t realize they’re drinking as many drinks as they are. The red Solo cups, a college party staple, have enough room for the equivalent of multiple drinks. It’s very easy to binge drink, particularly going into social situations where someone is trying to fit in.
So, what is the answer? How can we get college students to decide not to binge drink? Alcohol classes are one possible solution. They key remains getting kids to completely abstain from alcohol. How to do that is the million-dollar question.