Female College Students Binge Drink More than the College Male - Research Paper Example

Contents Binge Drinking 2 Data Analysis 4 National Survey (USA) 5 Australian Bureau of Statistics 6 Conclusion 8 References 8 Introduction Over the last few decades the social norms of our society have changed completely. This is because due to the revolution in Medias of communication the ideas are easily transferred from one place to another. Thus if someone is following a practice in for example Sweden there is an increased chance that people in other parts of the world would start following the same practice. This is also because the world is now more open to external ideas and suggestions. The information technology network has played an even bigger role in connection the world on different levels. The affects of internet are the most drastic on culture of people in younger age groups. This is because the younger generation uses the internet more for entertainment purposes as compared to previous generations. Therefore they are more susceptible to be affected by the messages delivered through the internet. The cross cultural communication on the internet ensures that younger generations follow newest trends and fashions. The most influential in this regard has been the culture of North America and Europe. The culture of these two continents has affected students all around the world. This is also because of their unquestionable dominance on the different media of communication including the internet and television. The culture of Binge drinking in Europe is very old. This is a derivative of British and Irish pub culture. This culture has spread from these locations to educational institutions of the world and is now known as Binge drinking. The independence of women has been advocated through media and other social medium over the last few decades. The revolution known as feminism has given all women around the world a slogan to participate with men at every level. The most common feminist tendencies are visible in younger females. Thus we can say that female students studying in colleges and universities try to complete with their male fellows. This competition is usually very healthy and leads to high standards of studies and research. However sometimes females also try to compete on the wrong fronts. A recent trend in female behavior has been the increase in drinking games. There are many different reasons for this type of attitude by female students. As mentioned they try to compete with male students. Some students also try to follow the rebellious attitude portrayed by some celebrities. This makes them more susceptible to activities which are considered prohibited. Moreover many females student get their first real independence in college. Thus there has been a drastic rise in Binge drinking in women over the last few decades. Binge Drinking Excessive drinking has been given many names throughout history. The contemporary name for excessive drinking is Binge drinking. The level of intoxication is different with each individual according to their tolerance of alcoholic beverages. Therefore Binge drinking in definition does not refer to the amount of alcohol consumed rather the intention. Therefore in definition if any person drinks with intention of becoming drunk or in other words intoxicated, it can be referred to as Binge drinking. Some researchers also refer to as a form of social drinking. However there are differences when it comes to Binge drinking as compared to other forms of social drinking. The most drastic difference is the amount of alcohol consumed. In Binge drinking the amounts of alcohol consumed is many times more as compared to other regular forms of social drinking. Moreover Binge is a form of social drinking specific to the younger generation. Moreover the younger people mostly belonging to colleges and universities are referred to as Binge drinkers. This is why Bing drinking has been criticized for both its social and academic dangers. Binge drinking can be very dangerous to health. Many different studies have been conducted which show that student engaging in Binge drinking have a higher propensity of getting a heart attack. Most students who engage in Binge drinking are usually unaware of the potential harms which can be caused by this activity. This is because as they are still young, they lack the necessary experience to be aware of the potential harms of alcoholic poisoning and many other hazards which are caused by excess drinking. According to researchers, excess usage of alcohol can cause very bad affects on the neurological system of a human being. This can be a major reason behind loss of sleep and memory loss. Moreover severe heart problems can be caused by Binge drinking in young adults. It has been deemed as the biggest reason behind cardiovascular diseases in people in their twenties. Continuous drinking can lead to many other problems which can vary from person to person. Some drinking addicts have reported issues with various psychiatric diseases and disorders. Almost thirty percent binge drinkers are in their adolescence. From among all Binge drinkers almost ten percent reach the threshold of substance use disorder in such an early age. The problems of female binge drinking are even more severe. The most hazardous after affects of binge drinking are for women who are carrying a child. This is because women in their pregnancy can have very severe disadvantages of alcohol on the baby. Research shows that almost four percent of all women who Binge drink, do it during their pregnancy. Many researchers claim that Binge drinking is one of the major reasons that many students commit suicide. This type of drinking exaggerates the problems and makes them loose control. It is also a major reason for traffic accidents throughout America. The biggest disadvantage of binge drinking is perhaps the affect it has on consumption of drugs. Once the binge drinker cannot satisfy himself or herself through drinking, the next step is using alcoholic drugs. Data Analysis There were two different options when it came to data collection and analysis for this research. The data could have been collected from friends and family. This data could than have been analyzed using statistical software such as SPSS or excel. However this would not have been enough to formulate a justifiable result or to pass a definite statement. This is because the drinking trends are different in different colleges and parts of the country. Therefore the only legitimate method is to conduct a survey which covers the entire countries. The resources however are not enough to carry out such an endeavor. Therefore the research analyzes two different surveys conducted by authentic national authorities. The first survey has been conducted by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The survey targets Americans living in different parts of America. The second survey has been conducted in Australia and targets drinking trends in Australians. National Survey (USA) A national survey was conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. According to the survey Bing drinking is becoming a huge problem in American teenagers and college students. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, binge drinking is measured now being defined on a specific scientific scale. This has been done to address the increasing medical and social problems being caused by Binge drinking. According to this new definition given by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, binge drinking is a specific pattern of drinking which can be recognized by testing the blood alcohol level of a person (BAC). The threshold blood alcohol level has been set at 0.08 grams. Roughly speaking for women it would mean consuming around four drinks in a total time span of two hours. The survey showed that people, who confirm that they are excessive drinkers, claim to have been engaged in binge drinking 92% of time in the recent past. This survey changed another common myth about binge drinking. It is commonly assumed that only college student Binge drink. On the contrary the survey showed that more that seventy percent Binge drinkers were older than 26 years. The data collected by Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System of CDC also shows that Binge drinking is much higher in men as compared to women. This data has however been collected for only subjects in America. The reliability of this data however is beyond doubt as it has been collected by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The survey also shows that alcohol diseases are mostly caught by people who are involved in binge drinking rather than other forms of social drinking. This is because the amount of alcohol consumed in Binge drinking is much higher than in other forms of social drinking. Moreover the statistics show that there is almost a 14 times chance that binge drinkers would be involved in alcohol related car accidents as compared to other forms of drinkers. The introduction of students to heavy drinking usually occurs during their college days. The survey conducted by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism confirms that almost 90% youths under the age of 21 are introduced to alcohol by Binge drinking in colleges. This shows that binge drinking is not only a negative activity for students but in fact it is instrumental in introducing students to drinking, who are not drinkers prior to college. The statistics given by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism also show that more than seventy percent of all alcohol drunk by American is consumed during Binge drinking parties. Australian Bureau of Statistics The survey conducted by Australian Bureau of Statistics is a comprehensive analysis of the different alcohol trends present in Australia. The survey conducted gives a lot of descriptive statistics which can help us study the distribution of alcohol drinker according to demographics. Moreover it also pinpoints the different health risks that are rising from drinking and also links them to demographics. The data for this survey has been collected from different smaller surveys conducted throughout Australia. The primary information has all been collected from the National Health Survey (NHS). Moreover data has also been taken from the Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS). The data available on the causes of death in Australian was also used for this survey. The National Drug and Household safety has also contributed to this research survey through their data bases. The NHS survey collected data mainly from subject which were 18 years or older. The survey shows that alcohol consumption has increased in Australia over the last few years. The Australian health system has reported that over the years the number of deaths caused by Alcohol has increased. The data collected only focuses on the consumption of ethyl alcohol (ethanol). The research shows that most of the adults reported that they had consumed alcohol in the week the survey was conducted. Moreover almost fifteen percent of these sixty percent admitted that they were involved in heavy drinking. This means that almost twenty million people were involved in heavy drinking. Almost 78% percent respondents which admitted to drinking claimed that they were involved in light drinking. Alarmingly however, the percentage of people involved in Binge drinking has increased by almost double in the last twenty years. The demographics for age and sex for alcohol drinkers give an insight into methods of prevention. The research showed that almost 15% adult males and almost 12% adult females reported Binge drinking. Moreover almost 55% of males admitted to have been involved in normal drinking. The percentage of women which admitted to light drinking was almost ten percent less. The statistics shows that number of women in both binge category and normal category were less than men in drinking. The growth however has been in the number of female binge drinkers. According to Australian Bureau of Statistics the percentage of women reported as binge drinkers has increase by almost six percentage points. This shows that although currently the numbers of Binge drinkers are more male as compared to females, the growth in numbers in much higher for females. Conclusion The study shows that Binge drinking is increasing all around the world due to a shared culture caused by increase in internet communication. Most students after joining college are introduced to Binge drinking as a social activity. However if this becomes a habit it can be deadly for many young students. The study shows that Binge drinking is still more common in males as compared to females. However the number of females is increasing at an alarming rate as compared to men. References National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2004). NIAAA council approves definition of binge drinking. NIAAA Newsletter Town M, Naimi TS, Mokdad AH, Brewer RD. (2004) Health care access among U.S. adults who drink alcohol excessively: missed opportunities for prevention Naimi TS, Brewer RD, Mokdad A, Clark D, Serdula MK, Marks JS. (2003) Binge drinking among US adults. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System prevalence data. Atlanta, GA: CDC. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. (2005). Drinking in America: Myths, Realities, and Prevention Policy. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Babor TF, Caetano, R., Casswell S, (2003).  Alcohol and Public Policy: No Ordinary Commodity.  New York: Oxford University Press Alcohol Consumption'' in Australia: A Snapshot, 2004-05". Abs.gov.au. (http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4832.0.55.001/). Retrieved 2010-11-10.   Binge drinking on people's minds: AMA”, (2008). Australian Broadcasting Corporation Read More