Current Event Alcohol Essay Example for Free

Current Event Alcohol Essay This article is very surprising in the fact that the understanding of binge drinking is changing. It has been apparent for some time now that excessively drinking has been a problem but it is now under the microscope of having a positive light to the young population. This study had articulated how binge drinking is being looked at and what is changing across student college campuses. The article was based within a college campus, they were studying who or why college students binge drink. They found that students that are perceived as being â€Å"high status† are socially connected and mentally happier. On the other hand those that are considered â€Å"low-status† were deemed to not being as happy, especially in terms of the satisfaction of their college life. This study is trying to show college students correlation with alcohol and what may be happening as a whole within a certain community. As college students we are known to have very high stress, alcohol, is said to help lower this stress. The national institute on alcohol abuse says,†over 400,00 students between the ags of 18 and 24 had unprotected sex as a result of their drinking† all of these statistics are worrisome. It is hard to understand why this is becoming such a problem but as it is described here, it can be directly associated with peer pressure and failure of education about the matter. Binge drinking is a major problem within our society. Even though this article is only from one university it can be multiplied and used to inform and educate other universities across the United States. If we don’t understand the effects it is making now we will not be able to control the future generations. This is particularly close to family ties considering many young adults are dying every year from excess drinking. From the article they state that, â€Å"1,700 college student deaths can be attributed to excessive drinking. † This statistic alone proves that it is a problem that could be prevented with proper education or different drinking laws. The culture within the United States put such a high emphasis on drinking. We learned and talked about how when something is illegal it makes more people want to try it or use the certain substance, I believe this can be directly connected with alcohol in teens and young adults. It I no urprise to me that the statistic of those that are classified as binge drinkers is so high, they say it is â€Å"peer pressure at its finest†, but I wouldn’t only correlate it to be from that but also from our; parents, educators, and role models not creating a clear understanding of how dangerous it can be and is. I agree with their statement that, †we want to make clear that we believe binge drinking is a really dangerous and ultimately self destructive behavior, and that a social power structure that promotes this is a bad thing†. This sentence really amplifies the need for change. This article is almost making a plea for people to understand and have knowledge of this subject. It has been passed over and if we don’t stop this power trip alcohol is having on young adults we wont realize when we have changed the older generation of society as a whole. On the other hand I believe since this was only done within one small university, in order to have collected and statistic information more studies would need to be done to find an average across the United States. This article was an eye opener for me to some of the crazy statistics that are out there and primarily tied to the use of alcohol. This study is only one example of how alcohol is affecting our society. It may makes some college students happier about their college experience but in the long run it will catch up to you and hurt not only yourself but those around you, as we have talked about this many times in class. Overall I would hope you evaluate your own personal decision and decide what is your best option. Don’t let other dictate how you should live or what they think is the best way to live.