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Alcohol and College Students

In: Psychology

Submitted By cbrayfiel
Words 1749
Pages 7
PSY 260 F Jaime Kaiser
11-24-07 Joe Trunzo, Ph.D., Professor

Effects of Alcohol on College Students The use of alcohol among college students has been a recurring theme for years now. It is almost guaranteed that college students will be introduced to alcohol at one point or another during their time at school. Students taking part in drinking at college can be traced to a number of different factors: peer influences, fraternity and sorority involvement, social norms, etc. These influences all affect a student’s motives for drinking in college. When college students drink, it is usually not in a safe, appropriate way. Binge drinking has become common on the college campus. The risks of this type of drinking have an impact not just on the college student. Other students, family, and anyone in general feel the effects of this type of drinking behavior. “Alcohol identity also predicted engaging in behaviors that place the student at much greater risk for personal injury, harm to others, and legal consequences—binge drinking, drinking games, drinking intentionally to intoxication, and drunk driving.” (Casey & Dollinger, pg.18, 2007) The outcomes of alcohol consumption have many different outcomes for each student, and the root of this drinking can be attributed to many different factors. The explanation of how college facilitates certain drinking behaviors is not a simple one. There are many factors that go into why college students begin to drink. Greek life, peer pressure, and social norms all play a part in alcohol consumption for students. In a study done by Christy Capone, Mark Wood, Brian Borsari, and Robert Laird in 2007, the results concluded that affiliation with fraternities and sororities increased the likelihood for drinking. “It appears that formal (and perhaps informal) affiliation with heavier

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