To many students, college is seen as a sanctuary where they can get away from their families, hang out with friends and be irresponsible. Over the years, they have developed the reputation as “expert partiers with a school problem.” This doesn’t mean that academics don’t matter; however, they are definitely second-tier on some students’ lists.
In a study conducted by Alcohol 101 Plus — a national program that aims to help college students make responsible decisions — a reported 72 percent of undergraduate students and 82 percent of students involved in fraternity and sorority life admitted to drinking at least once in the course of 30 days. Within the past year, 88 percent of student-athletes admitted to using alcohol.
But why do we do it? Being a young adult and gearing up for the real world is stressful, yes, but it is nothing that we can’t handle. Primarily, drinking is the designated college norm. Movies, magazines and photos all depict college as a time to get drunk and hang out with friends.
Many students, however, also turn to the bottle as a way of coping with high levels of stress, falling back on the medical claim that alcohol is good for you.
In many respects, it’s true. Alcohol has been proven to have many health benefits when used in moderation.
Limited alcohol consumption can reduce your risk of developing heart disease, dying of a heart attack, lower your risk of gallstones and potentially even lower your risk of diabetes, according to resources from the Mayo Clinic.
However, the numbers of college students who are at risk of a heart attack are slim, and very few college students who drink keep their consumption to a minimum on a consistent basis.
According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, about 49 percent, or 3.8 million, full-time students admitted to drinking on a regular basis. In 2005, nearly half of the 3.8 million students surveyed met the medical criteria for substance abuse and dependence. Students who admitted to regular drinking in the survey were found to spend 10.2 hours a week drinking and partying and only 8.4 hours studying or doing school work.
Of the individuals in the study, about 25 percent reported suffering academic consequences, including doing poorly on assignments, missing classes, falling behind and receiving overall lower grades because of drinking.
Drinking as a coping mechanism for stress is becoming more and more common among University students.
“Drinking on the weekends relieves the stress that builds up from all my school work during the week,” University student Kristin Cowman said.
When alcohol is consumed, according to recovery center Vida Family Services, the drinker experiences “mild euphoria and loss of inhibition as alcohol impairs (the) region of the brain controlling behavior and emotions.”  Many students who drink turn to this euphoric feeling to forget about their daily stressors.
Is drinking worth all the negative effects? Alcohol acts as a sedative on the central nervous system, which depresses nerve sells in the brain. Large doses of alcohol can cause loss of sleep, anesthesia, respiratory failure, coma and even death. Loss of sleep decreases the body’s natural defense mechanisms, including the immune system, which can cause the individual to become ill. Both of these factors can add to stress, which can even further enhance the detrimental effects of alcohol.
Although alcohol is proven to lower blood pressure, doctors recommend not consuming alcohol if an individual is particularly stressed. To lower level of stress, doctors recommend exercise, sleep and at least 30 minutes of time alone each day.