Alcohol and teenagers or college students. Alcohol plays a role in the lives of college students and teenagers. Alcohol and college students sometimes go hand in hand. Fraternity parties, sorority parties...
Alcohol and college students sometimes go hand in hand. Fraternity parties, sorority parties and other college parties rarely go without alcohol. According to the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, approximately 75% of college men and 55% of college women drink heavily, and 20-25% of heavy drinking students experience a wide range of drinking related problems during their four years in school.
"In college, fraternity and sorority life is very much tied up with drinking and going to parties," says Dr. Ally Bloom, a medical director and owner of Pasadena Recovery Center. He is psychiatrist with four years experience in treating alcoholism. "They drink beer, wine and a variety of other things all in the name of fun, but don't realize they can cause serious damage to themselves and someone else."
According to the Core Institute, an organization that surveys college-drinking practices, 300,000 of today's college students will eventually die of alcohol-related causes such as drunk driving accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, various cancers and heart disease. Also, 159,000 of today's first year college students will drop out of school next year for alcohol or other drug related reasons. The average students spend about $900 on alcohol each year.
With such a high rate of students drinking heavily, administrators are trying to take action to reduce this problem. However, students are not paying attention to officials or parents and are continuing their rebelliousness. People who are most likely to develop alcohol related problems might also be the least likely to seek help for their alcohol related problems. Students who do suffer from alcoholism are more likely to seek help from friends, counselors, and printed information than from agencies that are designed to assist students with their problems.
"The media informs people, but unfortunately if you are an addict or alcoholic, you will not pay attention to what others have to say about it," says Bloom. "They think it applies to other people, not them."
If a person feels their drinking has gone to a new level and they cannot stop, then help should be sought immediately.
"If you think you are an alcoholic, go to an AA meeting," says Dr. Ally Bloom, a medical director and owner of Pasadena Recovery Center. He is psychiatrist with four years experience in treating alcoholism. "Then seek further treatment if necessary."
According to American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, students' alcohol use tends to be increased by their alcohol environment, whereas alcohol education is likely to reduce students' drinking. Also, although alcohol education tends to increase students' awareness of their alcohol problems, students who consume large quantities of alcohol and display alcohol problems are less likely to recognize that they have or have had alcohol-related problems.
If a person feels they need help to control their drinking or to stop altogether, they should talk to friends and family, go to an AA meeting, visit drughelp.org, or find listings for help in the yellow pages of the telephone directory under mental health, community services, social and human services, alcoholism, or drug abuse.
