COLLEGE DRINKING

College Drinking



CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

Alcohol consumption on college campuses is a real and dangerous problem that college administrators face. There is a disconnection of the student influences and behaviors in regards to the level of their alcohol consumption. Limited knowledge on the definition of binge drinking, social norms in terms of alcohol consumption, and the true influences of alcohol consumption adds to this disconnection in regards of college prevention and intervention programs. Through a deeper understanding of student influences in relation to their level of alcohol consumption, a decrease in negative behaviors and consequences of drinking can occur on campuses. Most college students do not drink heavily.

However, there are many students who do drink and they create problems for themselves, their fellow students, their colleges and universities. The institutions should play a role in addressing the problem. Binge drinking, in fact, could arguably be the “No. 1 public health hazard and the primary source of preventable morbidity and mortality for the more than 6 million fulltime college students in America” Moreover, college presidents have identified high-risk drinking as a “moderate or “major” problem on college campuses. This has made behaviors related to alcohol consumption a top priority on many college campuses. The consumption of alcohol by college students in USA is a huge concern for their parents and the steps must be taken to prevent this activity.

What is Binge Drinking?

Binge drinking, typically defined as consuming five or more alcoholic beverages on one occasion, has concerned college educators for at least the past two. Research has tried both to quantify college student drinking and to discern the consequences for drinkers. Much of the literature has focused on what we would consider short-term negative consequences: personal injury; missing a class; experiencing a hangover; disruptions to the community; etc. A handful of studies have looked at alcohol's longer-term effects, primarily focusing on grade point average. There has also been some attempt to discern whether lower grades by frequent binge drinkers are related to reduce study time. Most recently, researchers have begun to study the effects of drinking on broader outcomes, such as life satisfaction, and college involvement, a common predictor of college success (Bauman, 1999).

This research extends the literature by examining the effects of binge drinking on a wide range of college outcomes and the extent to which those effects are mediated by academic engagement. On a practical level, the findings may contribute to the enhancement of drinking prevention programs which are designed to decrease drinking as well as the negative consequences associated with it (Kulis, 2008).

Binge Drinking and Personal Harm

Much of what is known about binge drinking and its effects comes from two national longitudinal studies that spanned the 1980s and 1990s: the Student Alcohol Questionnaire (SAQ) and the College Alcohol Survey. The number of college students who binge drink has remained fairly consistent from the early 1990s through 2002 and compared to individuals of the same age who do not attend college, students binge ...