What Is Binge Drinking In College Essay

Although heavy drinking among older adolescents has decreased in comparison to previous years, there has not been a decline in alcohol abuse in college students. “College students are more likely to engage in heavy drinking than their peers who do not attend college, with 2 in 5 students nationally engaging in binge drinking on at least 1 occasion in the past 2 weeks” (Nelson and Wechsler). College students, most of whom are not legally able to purchase alcohol, often attend parties which provide the toxic drink. Most of the party attendees partake in binge drinking, the consumption of a large amount of alcohol over a small period of time. Binge drinking can be defined as consuming five or more drinks on a single occasion in the past two

certain aspects of college life, such as unstructured time, the widespread availability of alcohol, inconsistent enforcement of underage drinking laws, and limited interactions with parents and other adults, can intensify the problem (“College Drinking”).” College students are more likely to binge drink at parties because of the unlimited availability of alcohol on college campuses. Because most college students are under the age of twenty-one, many students are not able to consume alcohol unless it is first purchased by someone of the legal age. However, some college students obtain alcohol on their own with fake identifications or purchase the unhealthy drink in places that do not check their identification. According to the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol

Other concerns include suicide, sexual assault, motor vehicle accidents, physical assault, death, failing classes, and vandalism. 1 in 4 college students reported academic problems from drinking. These problems include missing classes, falling behind in classes, performing below average on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades. Each year, almost 2,000 college students from ages eighteen to twenty-four years old die in alcohol related motor vehicle accidents. Also, in the eighteen to twenty-four year old range, approximately 97,000 students experienced alcohol related sexual assault (“College Drinking”). These statistics would inevitably increase if the drinking age was lowered to