Alcoholism on a College Campus

Before freshman start classes every fall, it is required for them to complete the alcohol education program called AlcoholEdu. According to the website, the program is "designed to challenge students' expectations about alcohol while enabling them to make healthy and safe decisions." (http://www.purdue.edu/alcohol/alcoholedu/index.shtml). 

I applaud Purdue's efforts to address the fact that alcohol is largely seen on a college campus. However, I do not see much information provided to students about alcoholism. Ever since coming to college, I have seen a lot of people increase the amount of alcohol that they consume and alcohol consumption has become normal for people of all ages (including those under-age). It is common for students to binge drink at parties and the standard serving size for an alcoholic drink is largely ignored. Therefore, in my opinion, I believe that college students are at an increased risk to develop alcoholism before they graduate. 

If students are at an increased risk to develop alcoholism, I think that universities throughout the US should put a larger effort to educate their students about the risks of becoming an alcoholic and common signs and symptoms. 

An important thing to note about alcoholism and that substance abuse experts have made a distinction between alcoholism and alcohol abuse. They state that, "Unlike alcoholics, alcohol abusers have some ability to set limits on their drinking. However, their alcohol use is still self-destructive and dangerous to themselves or others." (http://www.helpguide.org/articles/addiction/alcoholism-and-alcohol-abuse.htm). Some students that I have talked to would adamantly refuse that they are alcoholics, "I do not need to drink every day and I can stop when I want to." As the experts listed above, large consumptions of alcohol is dangerous and it could cause harm in the future. 

I think that there should be a large effort to educate students about the signs of a drinking problem:

• "Feel guilty or ashamed about your drinking.
• Lie to others or hide your drinking habits.
• Have friends or family members who are worried about your drinking.
• Need to drink in order to relax or feel better.
• “Black out” or forget what you did while you were drinking.
• Regularly drink more than you intended to"

Source: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/addiction/alcoholism-and-alcohol-abuse.htm

After reading through that list, it made me think about how many times I see friends drink after exams, the black-out stories, and people complaining that they drank too much the night before. 

There should also be a push to explain the signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse:

• Repeatedly neglecting your responsibilities at home, work, or school because of your drinking. 
• Using alcohol in situations where it’s physically dangerous.
• Experiencing repeated legal problems on account of your drinking. 
• Continuing to drink even though your alcohol use is causing problems in your relationships. 
• Drinking as a way to relax or de-stress.

Source: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/addiction/alcoholism-and-alcohol-abuse.htm

I have discovered that there have been times that I have abused alcohol and I didn't know it until I have read through this list. I believe that I am not the only college student that has abused alcohol, which is why I think education on this matter is very important. 

Finally, there are the signs and symptoms that you are an alcholic:

1. Increased tolerance to alcohol: Considered the first major warning sign
2. "Withdrawal: anxiety, trembling, sweating, nausea, insomnia, depression, fatigue, irritability, headache, and others"
3. Alcohol has begun to cause problems in your life, yet you continue to drink
4. Alcohol takes up a lot of you time and focus
5. You give up other activities to drink
6. You cannot control how much you drink.

Source: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/addiction/alcoholism-and-alcohol-abuse.htm

When signs and symptoms get this bad, it is necessary for the person to go to a healthcare provider to seek treatment. It is not an easy addiction to quit and support from family, friends, and others is important to prevent health problems later on in life. 

I think that it is important to educate college students about the dangers of alcoholism, because it is easy to start losing control over your drinking when you are on a college campus. In order to prevent students from becoming addicted, I think it is important to educate them more about the signs and symptoms so they can prevent themselves from abusing alcohol and they could also help others that may be developing a drinking problem. 

Any thoughts?