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A Plea to my Fellow Students

For many people, college is their first opportunity to live away from their parents’ home and to be free from significant parental control and supervision. Along with increased freedoms comes increased responsibility. College students, for the first time, bear primary responsibility for their personal needs, such as housing, laundry and nourishment, in addition to their schoolwork. College offers students the freedom to interact with a variety of people and lifestyles. One “lifestyle” which is a commonly accepted part of college life is drinking, especially, binge drinking. Both college administrators and students cite alcohol as the most pervasively misused substance on campuses. (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.) Recent news stories publicizing alcohol-related deaths on college campuses have once again drawn attention to this public health problem and reveal that drinking is a major problem that poses a serious threat to college students. Unfortunately, experimenting with drinking by college and even high school students is still considered by many to be “normal” and, therefore, acceptable behavior.

According to the Committee on Substance Abuse of the

Excessive drinking also contributes to fights and sexual violence. It is estimated that, each year, 600,000 college students aged 18 to 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape. Outbreaks of fights in bars and other public places caused by intoxicated students ruin the social events for others.

Damage to personal health is a serious concern. Many college students who drink heavily experience short-term health consequences such as hangovers, nausea and vomiting. Binge drinkers are at risk for alcohol poisoning occurs when the percentage of alcohol in the bloodstream rises to a level that causes blackouts and even deaths. The United States Department of Education reports that at least 84 college students have died since 1996 due to alcohol poisoning. (NIAAA) Long-term health consequences of heavy alcohol use include reduced resistance to infection and increased vulnerability to lifelong alcohol problems, including cirrhosis of the liver and alcohol related stomach ulcers. Chronic alcoholism may affect a person long after the college years are over.

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