Binge drinking

Introduction

In the current society, parents are no longer assured of the safety and moral behavioral activities of their children; preferably when they are now reporting back to schools. This has been necessitated by binge drinking that has taken the college students’ life by storm. In Binge drinking, Marczinski et al. meant the drinking of five alcoholic drinks for men, and four alcoholic drinks for women in less than two hours, at least once a month (59). Such behavior has become a social problem, and individuals perceives as a modern lifestyle. As college students are undergoing brain development, binge drinking imposes negative implications on their trend of learning and memory control. Although social interaction and behavioral exploitation is a norm in learning institutions, binge drinking has demonstrated both physical and mental effects on an individual.

Physical effects of binge drinking

College students often indulge in binge drinking after they join the institution. Although the effects and consequences of alcohol usage has become a cliché to the world, students have ignored its outcomes. According to Wechsler et al., binge drinking increases the risk of body disorders like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and other metabolic disorders (1642). In the case of heart disease, over consumption of alcohol narrows the blood veins that enhances blood supply to the blood. With lack of enough oxygen, due to limited blood supply, an individual is vulnerable to heart disease. In addition, narrowing of cardiovascular veins would also necessitate high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Individuals are at risk of these health disorders when they indulge in binge drinking.

In addition, most of the serious risk involved in binge drinking includes alcohol poisoning. Research has shown that majority of the students who have been involved in this social behavior have ended being poisoned. Some of the brewers often poison the alcohol that the students consume. Consequently, the chemicals that are normally used in the process of fermentation are toxic to human consumption. For instance, methanol and ethanol are toxic substances that are used in preparation of alcohol.

Binge drinking has increased the risk of accident occurrence, injury, and violence acts. Alcohol plays a pivotal role in more than half of all the automobile fatalities. The statistics, though grim, are a true reflection of the consequences of drinking and they have been magnified by binge drinking. Some accidents happen just out of arrogance and the “don’t care” attitude brought forth by alcoholism. It is no wonder to see a group of teenagers driving a long a busy highway, very intoxicated and without caring on the tragedy that will befall them. According to Marczinski et al., binge drinking has been estimated to cause accident or injury, and it is eight times likelier to occur than an individual who is not involved in binge drinking (86). Most of the drivers are not aware, when alcohol-intoxicated, that they are imposing danger to other travelers on-board; they are just concerned about their social satisfaction. The alcohol induced emotions of greatness and power has led many teenagers to make catastrophic decisions. Of consequence is the sexual victimization (Boggs et al. 1689). When one is drunk, he/she can be sexually molested, as one is not aware of the happenings in the surroundings. Most of the youths have found themselves in such scenarios, and reports indicate that with the increase in binge drinking, sexual molestation and victimization will continue to rise.

Mental effects of binge drinking

Individuals who are prone to binge drinking are likely to be depressed, anxious, and portrays compulsive tendencies. With depression, not all individuals who are binge drinkers live above the poverty line. Most of them are living in hardship and it is quite a challenge for them to consume large quantities of alcohol at a given period, as they are imposed to financial constraint. Lack of the necessary material wealth will make the binge drinker to be depressed. Walter and Baer (2005) posit that binge drinkers have a weaker verbal memory than those that do not engage in binge drinking. For the latter, memory is more detailed and can last longer. This is attributed to the balance of mental stability that has been compromised by binge drinking—by affecting the memory functionality of the brain. Where it is consumed in large quantities, as is usually the case during binge drinking, the effect are even more calamitous, and they are manifested in an individual through, reduced concentration, mental lapses and a lack of basic logic and sense. In most cases, people who binge drink are normally addicted to the practice, and may be involved in the use of other ominous drugs (Wechsler et al. 1689). When they are dependent on alcoholic drinks and drugs, they increase their levels of stress, which culminated to health disorders.

Consequently, when alcohol is consumed in large quantities, the brain cells can be damaged resulting to memory issues, learning difficulties and blackouts. An all inclusive memory functionality is dependent on the integrity of the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, which mostly mature and develop during adolescence and have been revealed to be very vulnerable to the effects of the neurotoxins found in the alcoholic drinks. When an individual consume excess alcohol, the cortex and hippocampus will be damaged resulting to memory loss. Students who are involved in binge drinking have difficulties in learning, and it has led to failure in examinations. Marczinski et al. demonstrated that college students involved in binge drinking experience blackouts in exams and have problems in memorizing or recalling past activities (69). It is difficult to educate a student who can hardly manage to remember the previous day’s activities.

Conclusion and Recommendation

Binge drinking has become a social issue in the contemporary society. Young children, especially in colleges and universities, are involved in excessive drinking as a way of socializing. Binge drinking has demonstrated adverse effect, both as mental and physical effect. In physical effect, it causes high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, alcoholic poisoning, among others. Individuals who are binge drinkers have a tendency of being involved in fatal accidents, injury acts, and violent activities. Students are also prone to sexual victimization. In the case of mental effects, there is likelihood of depression, anxiety and compulsive tendencies among binge drinker’s individuals. Finally, excessive consumption of alcohol destroys an individual’s brain cells imposing memory lapse, blackouts, and learning difficulties. Though teachers have the burden of ensuring that students are not involved in binge drinking, parents and the government should also take initiatives that will mitigate the adversity of the problem. The school administration, with the help of the government and parents, should adopt proactive methods of dealing with the situation based on the understanding of the social aspects of binge drinking among the college students.

Works cited

Boggs Lauren, Harris Jacquie, Hays Kristin and Young Maggie. The effects of binge drinking among college students. Annual review of Nursing Research, 12(2008): 129-132. Print

Marczinski, Cecile, Estee Grant, and Vincent Grant. Binge Drinking in Adolescent and College Students. New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2009. Print

Walters, Scott and Baer, John. Talking with College Students about Alcohol: Motivational Strategies to Reduce Abuse. New York: Guilford Press. 2005. Print

Wechsler Henry, Davenport Andrea, Dowdall George, Mceykens Barbara and Castillo Sonia. Health and behavioral consequences of binge drinking in college. Journal of the American Medical Association, 21(1994):1672-1705. Print.