The State : CAMPUS CORRESPONDENCE : The Legions of Student Drunks Are Growing
A women stands toward the back of a crowded room, observing the people and talking to her friend. The music is loud. The smells of beer and cigarettes are strong. A guy comes up from behind her, puts his arm around her and says, “Excuse me, but you dropped your smile.” He thinks he’s cool. She thinks, “Great, another drunk college guy.”
Alcohol consumption has become as much a part of college life as football. More than 80% of college students drink on a regular basis. Worse, binge drinking is on the increase, especially among women, according to a study released by Columbia University.
For male students, drinking is a social rite to acceptance: the more, the better. They are supposed to let loose when drinking and whatever happens is chalked up to intoxication. Women, on the other hand, are not supposed to be heavy drinkers. If they drink like men, they face social ostracism.
Don’t get me wrong. Women do some pretty wild and crazy things. Those with “nice and sweet” reputations during the day are sometimes found dancing on tables at night, flirting with strangers or passing out from too much booze. Indeed, what’s especially alarming about the Columbia study is the news about binge drinking among female students.
It never ceases to amaze me how people change when they have been drinking. Granted, drinking lowers inhibition. But what about people whose personality drastically changes. What insecurities are they trying to escape.
Take Kevin. When I met him, he was drunk. When I ran into him at a party, he was drunk again. But when I became separated from my friends, Kevin offered to walk me to my dorm. Since he seemed harmless--he was just smiling and laughing--I took him up on his offer.
But on the way to dorm, Kevin wanted to pick a fight but couldn’t find a worthwhile opponent. So he stumbled along, wondering why I was so embarrassed that I walked 10 steps behind him.
It was 2 a.m. when we arrived at my dorm. I was tired, irritated and wanted to go to bed. I left Kevin sitting by the stairwell.
Alcohol is the most heavily used drug in America today, and the campus is increasingly where more and more abuse is occurring. As many as one in three students qualify as alcohol abusers, according to the study released by Columbia University. Indeed, students aged 18-24 are among the heaviest drinkers in the United States. About 20% of college graduates eventually become alcoholics.
Unfortunately, Kevin may be one of these statistics.
Drinking in college has been around since the 1800s. But willful drinking to excess--so-called binge drinking--is the best way to destroy the college experience--and possibly your life as well.*
