Being Geek, Means you Drink Drink Drink

Despite laws in every state that make it illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to purchase or possess alcohol, young people report that alcohol is easy to obtain and even more accessible once you come to college. Data from several national surveys indicate that about four in five college students drink and that about half of college student drinkers engage in heavy episodic consumption. Recent concerns have, therefore, often focused on the practice of binge drinking, typically defined as consuming five or more drinks in a row for men, and four or more drinks in a row for women. The operant goal of binge drinking is to get drunk. The effects binge drinking can have on college students are wide ranged and can even lead to death. In this Blog I will be talking about the importance of binge drinking has on college campuses and some of the influences, as well as including some current testimonies of student who have been effected by binge drinking.

In the Eric Digest from George Washington Univ. Washington DC. Graduate School of Education and Human Development told the horrific story of how Massachusetts Institute of Technology student Scott Krueger died in 1997 from alcohol poisoning. The freshman’s blood-alcohol level was five times the drunken driving standard in Massachusetts. He had been discovered unconscious in his room by his fraternity brothers at Phi Gamma Delta, after drinking heavily at a fraternity event. Shortly before midnight, the fraternity called Campus Police, who immediately called 911 to alert Boston Police and then went to the fraternity. Krueger was unresponsive when Boston police, firefighters and paramedics arrived a few minutes later, and was taken by ambulance to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and placed on life support. His fraternity brother reported having seen him consume many drinks in a short period of time. Boston police issued citations to the house for liquor and housing code violations. The fraternity was suspended from conducting social activities pending the results of an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. However Scott’s family received $6 million to settle a civil suit filed, from the university. The Krueger family used $1.25 million to create new scholarships for MIT students. Although in the end Krueger’s family was rein burst for the tragic incident of their loved one and they tried to use this experience to promote positivity with creating a scholarship fund there are still escalating numbers of incidents similar to these occurring on college campuses every year.

Recent cases at University of Michigan and University of Colorado, both football crazed schools where weekends of big wins are often dictated by the campus Greek system have also shown that binge drinking may result in death. With these studies we see a continuous pattern and that is the Greek affiliation with binge drinking. Contrary to the ideals and foundations of Greek membership, Greek members living in Greek housing is the strongest single predictor of binge drinking on college campuses. From my personal experience rarely do fraternity and sorority members have a social activity when alcohol is not present. Alcohol plays a large part of the Greek socialization process. Greek members also believe that alcohol facilitates the brotherhood/sisterhood bonding process and enhances social activities. The social norms of Greek membership appear to greatly influence the attitudes and expectations of Greek members regarding alcohol use. I agree with the article when saying “institutions should begin to examine the accountability, or lack thereof, that fraternities and sororities have to their members”.

During the course we discussed binge drinking quite a bit and even read the self testimony of Koren in the book Smashed about her binge drinking episodes during college. She also was into Greek life which isn’t surprising after study the influence Geeks have on college drinking. The article also points to the fact that drinking more than likely began in high school saying, for many Greek students, binge drinking began in high school and continued throughout college. Of Greek men who lived in fraternity housing, 60% considered themselves binge drinkers in high school while only 38% of sorority women living in sorority houses participated in binge drinking in high school. However both genders in Greek organizations out-drank their non-Greek counterparts.

Besides the death that can occur from binge drinking there are less server things that are common such as rapes and sexual assault. Suite101.com states Every year, almost 100,000 U.S. students between the ages of 18-24 are victims of a sexual assault or date rape in which alcohol is involved. Sexual violence is an epidemic on college campuses, and the overuse of alcohol makes sexual assault much more likely. This statistic is part of a larger one--the estimated 700,000 students who are assaulted by another student who has been drinking. Other issues can include academic consequences. It is proven and I have observed that alcohol can play a role in decision making and often times after a night of binge drink one is hung over and don’t get up and go to class which can cause issues with student’s grades. One can also become easily addicted to alcohol. I know for most of my friends if they don’t drink before going out they can’t have fun or enjoy themselves so for them they consume large amounts of alcohol to relive the thrill whenever parting, and depending on how much parting is done a week this can become a dependency. Legal issues can also be a factor, especially considering that the legal age to drink is 21, which most college freshman and sophomores aren’t when they began college. The expense can vary as an issue. For most occasions drinking is provided at a party or social event therefore college students usually don’t come out their pocket to buy drinks. However if you become addicted or are the supplier of the alcohol then this can become an issue. And weight gain, the number one reason that has sustained me from drinking at parties or period. Most people don’t think about how this could effect you in the long run, however when one is binge drinking they are consuming so many calories which more than likely aren’t going to be burned off the next morning (due to sleeping in late because of a terrible hangover). There are many more health complications such as cirrhosis of the liver, vital organs began to fail, and also sexual performance can be negatively effected.

In the video “30 Days: Binge Drinking Mom” we watch in class I was kind of surprised to see little or none of these effects occur with Jessica. She bragged about being a binge drinker and how she could still get up and go to class and maintain her grades. Her weight and size of her body seemed to be fine and she didn’t speak much about hangovers. However for her mom who had decided to go on a 30 day binge drinking project to prove a point to her daughter (which in my opinion didn’t work and just had a negative effect on her youngest son) did suffer from the effects of binge drinking. The stay at home mom had began to slack on her house duties and almost all the time had a hangover and vomited. Although the point she was trying to make wasn’t reached the topic of genetics was sparked. A recent study from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism finds that a link exists between binge drinking and an individual's genetics. Individuals inherit either long or short versions of a specific gene, one from each parent. They can have either one short gene and one long gene, or two of the same length. Researchers discovered that the students carrying two copies of the short version of the gene are more likely to binge drink than others. So although there are issues or environment, Greek influence and peer pressure on college students there is this aspect of genetics that can play a role.

Alcohol-education programs for freshmen are becoming more comprehensive, making sure more students understand the dangers of binge drinking. I know here at The Ohio State University there are what we call “alcohol alternative” programs that R.A.’s and other organizations put on during the weekend to help students stay in the dorms and away from drinking. Besides the role of the universities I strongly feel that parents should educate their students on the effects of binge drinking before entering college, and have an open relationship with them to discuss issues if their child does decide to drink.