There has always been a correlation between college and alcohol consumption. While some young adults are able to subdue their binge-drinking habits during their post-grad lives, others turn them into an addiction. Out of the many factors that contribute to alcoholism, the addiction in college stems from a fear of missing out and is amplified by a lack of self-control.
In many cases, the time spent in college marks the best years of a young adult’s life. It allows them to live independently without the heavy burdens of “real world” responsibilities. A typical college student’s schedule usually looks something like going to classes, doing homework and maybe working part-time. As for the weekends? That’s the time to relax with friends and, a lot of the time, drink.
Whether they’d like to admit it or not, a great number of college students partake in the activity of binge drinking – or consuming excessive amounts of alcohol in short periods of time.
In my experience, the majority of binge drinking occurs on weekends or at events, such as a big basketball game or concert. A lot of the time, students will avoid drinking excessively during the week because they see classes as their first priority.
Photo Illustration by Tim sMith / photo editor
However, this need to be a functional and sober human for obligations like going to class does not apply to everyone. There are still students who drink most nights out of the week regardless of any previously-established responsibilities. Sadly, some of these students are the ones who develop addictions to alcohol.
The glamorization of alcohol in today’s society largely contributes to these young adults development of the addiction. In the United States particularly, drinking to excess is seen as making someone cool and the more you can drink, the cooler you are.
If one chooses not to consume alcohol, they are often ridiculed. If a man does not drink, his masculinity is questioned. If a woman does not drink, she’s seen as uptight or a prude.
The reason society jumps to these conclusions is because, at some point in time, an assumption was made that it’s impossible to have fun without alcohol. This assumption holds to be especially true in college.
More and more young adults are expressing the inability to enjoy themselves at events unless they drink beforehand. This is not so much because all young adults are alcoholics, but more because if you don’t drink before an event, you’re likely to be one of the only sober ones there.
If you have ever been the only sober one among a bunch of drunken college students, you know how much of a nuisance this can be. So, as a result, college students will drink to feel included because then they’re almost guaranteed to have a fun time. But this drinking because we’re afraid of not being included can lead to alcoholism for some young adults.
First, they’re casually going out for a drink on a Monday with friends. Next they realize they’re addicted to the confidence and fun they experience from drinking. So they make a habit of drinking in excess and start doing it more and more.
There are certain “red flags” that the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse names as signs for having an alcohol addiction.
These “red flags” include drinking until you can’t remember what happened or blacking out, the inability to have only a few drinks, structuring one’s social life around alcohol, obsessing over alcohol and acting destructively toward oneself or others when under the influence of alcohol. There is nothing wrong with going out and drinking with your friends every once in awhile. But it’s when these “red flags” become more frequent or become habits that casual drinking can render an addiction.
Claire Hickey can be contacted at chickey@kscequinox.com
