Problem Drinking on College Campuses

While college can be an exciting and enriching time of learning, lifelong friendships, and personal exploration, college years all too often involve problem drinking patterns. In an environment where frat parties, house parties, bar hopping and liquor store runs become the norm, many college students find themselves addicted to alcohol during their college years. Underage drinking has become an unofficial standard at many college campuses and universities, and even some who are of age often engage in binge drinking behaviors—with some incidents leading to alcohol poisoning, or even death.

Problem Drinking on College Campuses

Many college students find themselves away from home for the first time in their lives—and able to make their own choices. Without supervision at a young age, and when in the presence of freely flowing alcohol and peer pressure, the desire to experiment with alcohol sets in. Research has shown that, additionally, many college kids hold the belief that they are expected to drink during their college years, and that they will be the exception if they choose to abstain. Few college students readily admit to problem drinking, as well, leaving those who wish to make a change feeling estranged and alone.

Because campus police make efforts to curb underage drinking or loud parties, many situations where college students do problem drink are driven underground and out of sight. This leads to alcohol consumption at incredibly high levels, due to the inability to store alcohol in dorm rooms and the lack of adult supervision. Because college students also may not be terribly experienced with alcohol, binge drinking often becomes a result of experimentation. Problem drinking on college campuses is also a result of alcohol as entertainment and spectacle—with drinking contests, drinking games, beer bongs, and keg stands causing problem drinking to take on a competitive and glamorized appearance.

College Problem Drinking for Emotional Reasons

Problem drinking on college campuses isn’t always due to a hedonistic outlook or social pressures. In fact, sometimes, problem drinking stems from psychological or emotional reasons. College students might find themselves homesick, unsure of themselves, under academic pressures, or facing an uncertain future. For many college students, alcohol provides a social lubricant as well as a way to lower anxiety and self-medicate depression or heartache. Unfortunately, as problem drinking continues, it often leads to full-blown alcohol addiction, as the body begins to chemically adjust when alcohol is repeatedly introduced to the system. When alcoholism takes hold, college students can find effective treatment through stays at inpatient alcohol treatment centers that treat both the mind and body—the best of which have customized programs for college-aged young adults who struggle with alcohol addiction.