Thursday, February 5, 2009

Do You Want to be a Binge Drinker?

By Richard Guzman

In the United States binge drinking is very common. There have been many stories in the news about underage kids' binge drinking, and dying from it. Binge drinking is the most common among high school and college students. In a study at Harvard University 51% of the males and 41% of the females binge drink. The study concluded that it takes males 5 drinks and it takes female 4 drinks for it to be considered binge drinking. Recent research shows that a person who binge drinks or gets drunk frequently is almost ten times more likely to miss a class, fall behind in school, or injure themselves. The study explained that the students that binge drink do not realize how dangerous they are to themselves and others.

Curiosity is one reason underage students binge drink. Another reason students binge drink is, they just wanted to know what it felt like to be drunk. On the other hand, one side effect of binge drinking is alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning is when you drink too much in a short period of time. When too much alcohol is in your system it affects involuntary reflexes for example your heart, and your brain. This is the life-threatening consequence of binge drinking.

Another common reason students binge drink is peer pressure. Peer pressure forces students to do things they normally would not do. Many students are driving while intoxicated or under the influence. Although they may not get caught the first, second or even the third time eventually they do and that leads to huge problems.

For example, their car could swerve into a different lane and cause a collision maybe even deadly. Secondly, they may get charged with a DWI or DUI. Thirdly, their license may be suspended or revoked. All of these things could be on their permanent record. Binge drinking often leads to drug use because the novelty of drinking has worn off and they want to try something new. Many times the students were offered drugs when they were drunk, the students would do them and then they would black out. Students admitted they were more likely to take drugs when they were drinking.

Binge drinking also caused their grades to drastically drop because they were not attentive in class and did not do their homework. In 99% of schools in the country they did not care that the students were asleep during class. However, this also meant they did not care that the students were in danger of failing. Many students got a taste of reality when they did not get into their college of choice.

Binge drinking is not only a problem among high school and college students, but it is also a problem with adults. In a recent study 75% of adults binge drink at least once a month, and one example of that is at professional sporting events. For example, studies show that at Ravens games some people buy eight beers during one game. The study stated that is considered binge drinking, and even if you are an adult it is not good for you. The data also concluded that many adults were getting drunk, doing ridiculous things and ending up with alcohol poisoning. In addition, the study concluded adults are drinking and driving, getting DWI's and DUI's , loosing their license, fight for no reason, and blackout. Even though it is legal for an adult to drink does not mean they should behave irresponsibly.

The study suggests that parents who cared needed to educate their children about the dangers of drinking. It was also concluded that open communication between parents and their children was extremely important. The study cited that parents should not allow their children to drink until they are of legal age. Many students confirmed that if adults would have talked to them about drinking it would have had a huge impact on the choices they made. The study also suggested that if the schools had a class on binge drinking more students would have understood the consequences. The study stated that the students that saw their parents binge drinking thought it was ok, for them to do it. The study suggested that parents should not binge drink, especially around their kids. Lastly, the study concluded that if these things are enforced the number of binge drinkers will be reduced. - 15784