Santiago Ruiz, a junior journalism major, said his hometown of Quito, Ecuador has no restrictions on who can buy alcohol. Ruiz is one of many international students at the University who thinks American regulations of the consumption of alcohol and drugs should be changed.
Peer Health Education Coordinator Annie Dochnahl, who works at the University Health Center, said a recent survey conducted by the Oregon Survey Research Laboratory shows international students are drinking less than domestic students, and domestic students are injured more from drinking than international students.
Seven percent of international students had five or more drinks twice a week in the past two weeks, while 12 percent of domestic students had five or more drinks twice a week in the past two weeks.
“Given that international students may be more challenged than domestic students to feel a sense of belonging, there could be a sense of using alcohol to fit in or belong, but the study doesn’t pan that out,” Dochnahl said.
Dochnahl said University students tend to drink to be socially accepted and to manage stress.
“Even though our drinking age is 21 in the U.S., we are bombarded by the alcohol industry messages that associate alcohol with the good life,” Dochnahl said. “That may have a greater impact on drinking choices than the drinking ages.”
Ruiz said he remembers buying alcohol at age 13 for his family reunions. But despite the lack of regulations, he said the percentage of alcoholics in the South American country is much lower than in the U.S.
“In my country, you have the opportunity to get alcohol anytime, but you also have morals, values and religion that tell you what is the limit,” Ruiz said.
The 23-year-old said he stopped furnishing his underage friends with substances because he needs to follow the rules in America. But he said this isn’t a problem in Ecuador because alcohol isn’t a challenge to obtain, and a person is considered an adult at age 18, instead of age 21.
“I think the rules [in America] should be changed. When you forbid some people to do something, they want to do it more,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz said it is not socially acceptable to drink to the point where a person passes out from alcohol consumption in Ecuador, because community members are concerned with how they are perceived by their peers. He was surprised to find that college students in America are sometimes pressured to consume massive quantities of alcohol.
Duco Merkens, a freshman business major from the Netherlands, said alcohol can be obtained in his country at age 16, or even age 14, if the buyer looks old enough. The 18-year-old said alcohol is easier to acquire in the Netherlands, and it becomes part of the social experience in bars with friends, instead of an addiction.
He added he spends less money on alcohol in America. In the Netherlands, he can easily spend more than $50 on alcohol at the bars in a night. International students have also said they noticed a difference in the use of drugs, such as marijuana, in the U.S. and in foreign countries.
Merkens said he has observed more students smoking marijuana than drinking alcohol in the U.S., because marijuana is easy to obtain.
“The good thing about The Netherlands is that marijuana is basically not allowed, but you can get it if you want. You won’t be punished,” Merkens said. “A lot more people are doing it [in America] because it is sneaky. They want to do it because it is prohibited.”
Office Manager for the International Student Association and sophomore architecture major Wanjiku Magua grew up on the border of Nairobi, Kenya. Magua said individuals have to be 18 to purchase alcohol, but the law is not strictly enforced. She said clubs check for identification, but pubs usually don’t.
Magua, who is part of the Gikuyu tribe, said traditional alcoholic beverages, such as mûratina, a blend of fermented sugar cane, are a part of certain ceremonies, such as weddings.
“From my perspective, [alcohol consumption] depends on religious beliefs, family background and traditional orientation,” Magua said.
She said her Christian beliefs discourage her from consuming alcohol.
Magua said she has seen a higher rate of drug use, including hallucinogenics and cocaine, in the U.S. than in Kenya. She said American movies and programs promote drinking and smoking, which causes people to mimic what they see on television.
Sophomore pre-business major and ISA Program Assistant Xiaoyu Fan, from China, said she finds other alternatives besides drinking to reduce stress and enjoy college life, including reading, eating and playing music.
Edel Davenport, an international counselor from Germany at the University Counseling Center, said international students could possibly consume alcohol because it alleviates loneliness, the transition to a new country and culture shock.
“Academic pressures and being far away from family, friends and a social support system might lead international students to find comfort in drinking and food,” Davenport said.