The answers are probably many, but the simplest answer is this: Because they can.
Alcohol abuse is an easy trap to fall into. Repeat offenders are not disciplined, there are so few immediate penalties for extreme drinking, students get varied messages from the college administration about alcohol, parents are not notified about their children's drinking activities, students are not told about the long-term negative outcomes of alcohol abuse, students have seen their parents drinking alcohol in an reckless manner, minors or intoxicated students are served alcoholic beverages by the local drinking establishments, there are few alcohol-free social and leisure activities that are attractive to students, and the drinking activities in the sororities and fraternities are not monitored are all reasons leading to not only drinking but excessive drinking.
What might compel a student to drink alcohol? Without adding peer pressure or influence to the mix, when ignoring that drinking alcohol only temporarily removes a person from his or her problems, when overlooking the idea or perception that drinking alcohol makes it easier to interact with possible dating or sexual partners, when casting aside it being so tolerable to participate in activities that highlight the drinking of alcohol, when the "good feelings" or the "fun" of getting an alcohol high or buzz are not considered, and when the party atmosphere at college is no longer an expectation by students, only then does it become harder to determine what might cause college students to abuse alcohol. For all of the reasons above are factors in driving our college campuses to alcohol abuse.
It needs to begin with more than just education. While making students knowledgeable to the dangers out there, especially in regards to the prevention of drug or alcohol abuse, it is not the only answer to the struggle with these issues at our colleges.
Proactive and Reactive Measures. With respect to alcohol abuse in higher education, many reactive AND proactive measures have been initiated at some colleges and universities that have reduced the availability, acceptability, and irresponsibility of alcohol use on and off campus. The result: a noticeable, if not a significant reduction in alcohol-related problems manifested by students.
What are some of these measures? Establishing immediate consequences for excessive drinking, disciplining repeat alcohol abuse offenders, notifying parents about their children's drinking activities, eliminating mixed messages by college administrators about alcohol (for instance, removing alcohol advertisements from stadiums and from sports brochures), informing students about the long-tern negative consequences of alcohol abuse, increasing alcohol-free social and recreational activities that are attractive to students, having college administrators talk to the owners of local drinking establishments so that minors and/or intoxicated students are not served alcohol, and monitoring the drinking activities in the sororities and fraternities.
While medical intervention and treatment are beneficial, they are not enough on their own. The proactive and reactive measures now being enforced are needed along with education and possible medical treatments. No matter if modern medicine provides a "cure" for addiction and makes it available to everyone, there will be those to decide to ignore the help available for whatever reasoning. They will continue to destroy their own health and bury themselves in alcohol and/or drug abuse, - 14915
Alcohol abuse is an easy trap to fall into. Repeat offenders are not disciplined, there are so few immediate penalties for extreme drinking, students get varied messages from the college administration about alcohol, parents are not notified about their children's drinking activities, students are not told about the long-term negative outcomes of alcohol abuse, students have seen their parents drinking alcohol in an reckless manner, minors or intoxicated students are served alcoholic beverages by the local drinking establishments, there are few alcohol-free social and leisure activities that are attractive to students, and the drinking activities in the sororities and fraternities are not monitored are all reasons leading to not only drinking but excessive drinking.
What might compel a student to drink alcohol? Without adding peer pressure or influence to the mix, when ignoring that drinking alcohol only temporarily removes a person from his or her problems, when overlooking the idea or perception that drinking alcohol makes it easier to interact with possible dating or sexual partners, when casting aside it being so tolerable to participate in activities that highlight the drinking of alcohol, when the "good feelings" or the "fun" of getting an alcohol high or buzz are not considered, and when the party atmosphere at college is no longer an expectation by students, only then does it become harder to determine what might cause college students to abuse alcohol. For all of the reasons above are factors in driving our college campuses to alcohol abuse.
It needs to begin with more than just education. While making students knowledgeable to the dangers out there, especially in regards to the prevention of drug or alcohol abuse, it is not the only answer to the struggle with these issues at our colleges.
Proactive and Reactive Measures. With respect to alcohol abuse in higher education, many reactive AND proactive measures have been initiated at some colleges and universities that have reduced the availability, acceptability, and irresponsibility of alcohol use on and off campus. The result: a noticeable, if not a significant reduction in alcohol-related problems manifested by students.
What are some of these measures? Establishing immediate consequences for excessive drinking, disciplining repeat alcohol abuse offenders, notifying parents about their children's drinking activities, eliminating mixed messages by college administrators about alcohol (for instance, removing alcohol advertisements from stadiums and from sports brochures), informing students about the long-tern negative consequences of alcohol abuse, increasing alcohol-free social and recreational activities that are attractive to students, having college administrators talk to the owners of local drinking establishments so that minors and/or intoxicated students are not served alcohol, and monitoring the drinking activities in the sororities and fraternities.
While medical intervention and treatment are beneficial, they are not enough on their own. The proactive and reactive measures now being enforced are needed along with education and possible medical treatments. No matter if modern medicine provides a "cure" for addiction and makes it available to everyone, there will be those to decide to ignore the help available for whatever reasoning. They will continue to destroy their own health and bury themselves in alcohol and/or drug abuse, - 14915
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