Reasons For Binge Drinking Among 18 To 25-Year-Olds - Essay Example

YOUTH AND DRUNKENNESS: REASONS FOR BINGE DRINKING AMONG 18 TO 25 YEAR OLDS Abstract The present study has employed a qualitative research design to investigate the binge drinking phenomenon among 18-25 year olds. The following questions were answered through thematic analysis: 1) How frequently do 18-25 year olds drink? 2) How many drinks do they consume in a single setting? and 3) What are the contexts or situations in which you engage in binge drinking? Describe these circumstances in detail (i.e. when, who, what, why and where). The results of the current study illustrate that 18-25 year-olds engage in binge drinking as reinforced by a combination of both demographic and situational/contextual traits. Of the five males and females who participated in the study, all were Caucasians, educated at least until the collegiate/tertiary level. Majority of the respondents engaged in binge drinking. The study has also found that males, more than females drank, and consumed more drinks in a single setting compared to their female counterparts. Other factors that predisposed them to binge drinking are being white, and tobacco usage (since apart from drinking, the respondents also smoked). The following are the contexts in which binge drinking among 18-25 year olds occur: 1) during special celebrations or occasions; 2) with special friends; and 3) when one is depressed or frustrated. The closeness and strong sense of belongingness they feel while drinking also reinforces binge drinking as a phenomenon. This usually transpires in the company of friends, colleagues, or even loved ones. The current study also supports the fact that males and more educated respondents were more susceptible to engage in binge drinking. Finally, males drank more than females in both public and private contexts. Introduction College binge drinking has been related with a wide array of campus and community alcohol-related issues that are very threatening and challenging to university functions (Wechsler, Dowdall, & Davenport, 1995; Wechsler, Molnar, & Davenport, 1999). Moreover, the occurrence of deaths, alcohol poisoning, hangovers have been attributed to binge drinking; apart from these academic difficulties such as a decrease in academic performance, low grades, dropout rates, and school failure in general, have associated with it (Perkins, 1992; Ichiyama & Kruse, 1998; Wechsler, Lee, Kuo, & Lee, 2000). Secondary social outcomes such as rising alcohol-related deaths and morbidity (Eigen, 1991; Hingson, Heeren, Zakocs, Kopstein, & Wechsler, 2002; Wechsler, et al, 1999), high incidence of drunkenness, alcohol-induced aggression, suicide attempts, sexual harassment or assaults, property damage, illness, campus brawls, and police trouble, and higher risk of impaired driving have been related to drinking alcohol excessively (Perkins, 1992; Wood, Sher, Erickson, DeBord, 1997; Ohare & Sherrer, 1997; Wechsler, Lee, Kuo, Seibring, Nelson, & Lee, 2002; Giancola, 2002; Wechsler, Lee, Hall, Wagenaar, & Lee, 2002). Having acknowledged the negative and grave outcomes of binge drinking, the current study intends to investigate the reasons 18-25 year olds engage in such maladaptive behavior. A survey of the Modern Brewery Age in 2003 has noted that binge drinking is rising in the United States, and is rising fastest among 18-20 year olds who are too young to drink under legal terms. Binge drinking episodes has in fact increased by 17% among all adults between 1993 and 2001, and burgeoned by 56% among 18-20 year olds. Through the case study method, the present research will establish the reasons why these youths binge drink, and hopefully be able to curb the phenomenon right from its roots. Statement of the Problem The research intends to answer the following general problem: What are the reasons of 18-25 year olds in binge drinking? In particular, the following subproblems will be addressed: 1) How frequently do 18-25 year olds drink? 2) How many drinks do they consume in a single setting? 3) What are the contexts or situations in which you engage in binge drinking? Describe these circumstances in detail (i.e. when, who, what, why and where). Significance of the Study The current study is particularly beneficial for those who engage in or have the tendency to engage in binge drinking. They will be able to understand this phenomenon in a new light, comprehending the contexts and the factors which predispose them to it. Thus, they may be aware of measures that they may undertake to address these predisposing variables and contexts. Moreover, the findings of the study may contribute to the literature of binge drinking, which is critical, as this phenomenon has been on the rise especially among the age range of interest. Review of Related Literature Definition of Binge Drinking The definitions for binge drinking for men and women slightly differ; for men, it means drinking five or more drinks in a single setting (Presley, Meilman, & Lyerla, 1995). On the other hand, it is consuming four or more drinks in a single setting for females (Wechsler et al, 1995). As empirical research indicates, binge drinking enhances the risk of a wide array of negative outcomes such as hangovers, brawls, intoxicated driving, vandalism, and falling prey to sexual violators (Presley et al, 1995; Wechsler, Davenport, & Dowdall, 1994; Wechsler & Isaac, 1991). The 2003 Modern Brewery study enumerates the following conclusions from their survey: 1) Adults between the ages of 21 to 25 were engaged in drinking binges in 2001 rose up to 1.5 billion episodes, translating to an average of over seven times per person. This represents an increase of about 1.2 billion episodes or about six times per individual in 1993 (Centers for Disease and Control Prevention in Modern Brewery, 2003). 2) The average number of episodes for other age groups in 2001 is as follows: nine for those ages 26 to 34; close to seven for those in the 35 to 54 year old age range; and almost three for those 55 years old and beyond. 3) Males yielded 12.5 episodes in 2001 in contrast with females’ 2.7. Hispanics garnered 8.4 episodes; on the other hand, whites had 7.4 while blacks were at 5.4. The Center for Disease and Control Prevention have undergone analysis for results for every other year between 1993 and 2001. The sample size ranged from 102, 263 in 1993 to 212,510 in 2001. Apart from being a difficult issue to confront for individual drinkers, binge drinking has gravely influenced students who do not drink as heavily. For instance, Wechsler, Moeykens, & Davenport (1996) have noted that those who abstain or do not drink as heavily often undergo serious repercussions associated with someone else’s drinking. These include sleep disturbance, disruption during studying, brawls, among others. Past empirical investigations assert that specific demographic and social variables are strongly linked to binge drinking. Wechsler et al (1994) and Presley et al (1995) purport that these risk factors include being male, while, single, having a parent who drank, and marijuana and tobacco usage (Wechsler et al, 1994). On the other hand, protective traits include being religious, and being African-American or Asian. Moreover, binge drinking has also been associated with the students’ social activities, to which it is positively correlated. For example, students’ perceived relevance of parties (Wechsler et al, 1994) and affiliations with a fraternity or sorority both account for binge drinking (Alva, 1998; Presley et al, 1993) Contexts of Binge Drinking Drinking contexts may be formally defined as where one drinks, with whom one is drinking, and when (Cahalan, Cisin, & Crossley, 1969). Wilsnack, Wilsnack & Klassen have indicated adding the reason or the “why” for drinking into this definition. An implicit principle of drinking contexts research has been asserted by Hartford (1979), saying that the antecedents of alcohol consumptions lie in the interactions between the individual and his environment; that is the consumption of alcoholic beverage is situationally specific rather than a trans-situational trait of specific persons. Towards this objective, contemporary research has investigated the associations between motivations for drinking and social context (Thombs, Beck, & Pleace, 1993), including alcohol expectancies and such contexts (O’Hare, 1998). Still other empirical investigations have concentrated on the more environmental contexts in which drinking transpires (Cavan, 1996; Clark, 1984; Hilton, 1989). In general, researchers have paid limited attention to the contexts that predispose 18-25 year olds (i.e. college students) to binge drinking. Kraft (1982) has studied alcohol consumption trends, associated issues, and contexts of drinking at one East Coast University in the late 70s. He asserts that the participants were inclined to drink with friends, during weekends, and in parties – in effect, these predisposed them to binge drinking. Moreover, the heaviest drinkers also frequently went to bars. Thus, with the frequency of going to parties and to bars, there is also the corresponding increase in self-reported problematic behaviors – including driving when drunk, academic difficulties, belligerence, job-related issues, vandalism, and trouble with police. Hunter (1990) further asserts that female college students drank more frequently in parties and in bars than anywhere else. The present paper intends to examine binge drinking, focusing on the 18-25 year old age bracket, where binge drinking is on the rise. Methodology Research Design This study employs a qualitative research design. The qualitative research approach is based on a "world view" which is holistic and has the following beliefs: (1) there is not a single reality; (2) reality based upon perceptions that are different for each person and change over time; and (3) what we know has meaning only within a given situation or context. The reasoning process used in qualitative research involves perceptually putting pieces together to make wholes. From this process meaning is produced. However, because perception varies with the individual, many different meanings are possible (Burns & Grove, 1993 in www.fortunecity.com). The present study uses a phenomenological approach, describing participants’ experiences as they are lived in phenomenological terms (i.e. to capture the "lived experience" of study participants). The focus of phenomenological research is peoples experience in regard to a phenomenon and how they interpret their experiences (Burns & Grove in www.fortunecity.com). A semi-structured interview guide will be used, offering the interviewers the opportunity to follow up and clarify. It also permitted the interviewee to express his/her feelings, opinions and concerns. Data were gathered weekly, for a total duration of ___ weeks. Following this, interview responses will be thematically analyzed. Case studies will then be written up for each participant. Participants and Sampling Plan The participants of the study will be purposively chosen using the following inclusion criteria: 1) must have experienced at least one incidence of binge drinking; 2) must be between 18-25 years old (inclusive); 3) must be explicitly willing to participate and share experiences related to binge drinking. Procedure Secondary data shall be gathered using sources such as books, journals and the Internet. This will allow a more comprehensive background of the topic. Following this, the researcher shall proceed with the construction of the semi-structured interview guide, and have this content validated by industry experts. Pilot interviews with at least two individuals shall be conducted ensure clarity of the questions and smoothness of its flow. Method of Data Analysis Thematic analysis will be used to make meaningful deductions from the interview data. In thematic analysis, a concept is chosen for examination, and the analysis involves quantifying and tallying its presence. The focus is at the occurrence of selected terms within a text or texts, although the terms may be implicit as well as explicit. While explicit terms obviously are easy to identify, coding for implicit terms and deciding their level of implication is complicated by the need to base judgments on a somewhat subjective system. Results and Discussion Profile of respondents. There were five male and five female respondents who were interviewed. All were within the 18-25 year old age range, and have explicitly expressed their permission to participate in the study. All respondents are Caucasians (white). Moreover, 8 out of the 10 respondents smoked on a regular basis. Finally, all respondents are studying, with all being at the collegiate/tertiary level. Frequency of drinking. Out of the 5 males, 3 expressed that they drank at least twice a week. One respondent said he drank on occasion, while the remaining male respondent expressed that he drank once a week. On the other hand, all 4 female respondents expressed that they drank only on occasion. Number of drinks consumed in a single setting. Out of the 5 males, 4 responded that they drank 5 or more drinks in one sitting. The remaining respondent drank 4 drinks in one sitting. For the females, 3 expressed drinking 4 or more drinks in one sitting; the other 2 said they drank only a maximum of 3 drinks per sitting. These results show that at least for the respondents of this research, majority engage in binge drinking. This supports the results of past empirical research demonstrating that certain demographic and social factors predispose individuals to binge drinking. Wechsler et al. (1994) and Presley et al. (1995) purport that males engaged in binge drinking more frequently than females (as attested to by results of this research). Other predisposing factors encompassed being white, single, having a parent who drank, or marijuana and tobacco usage (Wechsler et al., 1995). While these findings present predisposing factors, there are protective characteristics mentioned in the literature such as being religious or being African-American or Asian (all the respondents were white). Contexts in which respondents engage in binge drinking. The responses that were mentioned for this item are as follows: 1) during special celebrations or occasions; 2) with special friends; and 3) when one is depressed or frustrated. When the response ‘special occasions is probed further, the respondents say that these include parties for birthdays, going-away parties, bachelor parties, and the like. Special get-togethers among friends was also mentioned by 9 out of the 10 respondents. Only 3 were members of either sororities or fraternities. These data support the findings of Presley et al. (1993) and Alva (1998) who assert that parties and membership in a fraternity or sorority increase the likelihood of binge drinking. These results demonstrate that social activities and beliefs are strongly related to binge drinking. The respondents have also emphasized the fact that during binge drinking, they are in the company of any one among friends, colleagues, or even loved ones. All respondents expressed this when asked about the company they are with when they drink. These findings are consistent with those of Hilton (1991) who purported that across all alcohol consumption trends (i.e. abstainer, light, moderate, heavy), settings that encompassed the presence of co-workers, close friends, and neighbors tended to be perceived as more “cool”. When the demographic profiles of the respondents are examined, it may be gleaned that all of them are at the collegiate level. This supports Hilton’s (1991) findings that males and more educated respondents who resided in areas saturated by drinking joints were more susceptible to engage in binge drinking. The current study has also probed in the places where the respondents engaged in drinking. Both males and females have reported drinking in both public (bars, restaurants, etc.) and private (parties and homes) contexts. Overall, males drank more than females in both contexts. These findings are again consistent with those of Hilton (1991) who suggested that males drank more than females in both these contexts. Moreover, Hilton asserts that public drinking and the interaction between drinking in public and education each established a significant correlation with alcohol problems. Conclusion The results of the current study illustrate that 18-25 year-olds engage in binge drinking as reinforced by a combination of both demographic and situational/contextual traits. Of the five males and females who participated in the study, all were Caucasians, educated at least until the collegiate/tertiary level. Majority of the respondents engaged in binge drinking. The study has also found that males, more than females drank, and consumed more drinks in a single setting compared to their female counterparts. Other factors that predisposed them to binge drinking are being white, and tobacco usage (since apart from drinking, the respondents also smoked). The following are the contexts in which binge drinking among 18-25 year olds occur: 1) during special celebrations or occasions; 2) with special friends; and 3) when one is depressed or frustrated. ‘Special occasions included parties for birthdays, going-away parties, bachelor parties, and the like. Special get-togethers among friends was also mentioned by majority of the respondents. Membership to fraternities and sororities has also been mentioned as a context for engaging in binge drinking. The closeness and strong sense of belongingness they feel while drinking also reinforces binge drinking as a phenomenon. This usually transpires in the company of friends, colleagues, or even loved ones. The current study also supports the fact that males and more educated respondents were more susceptible to engage in binge drinking. Finally, males drank more than females in both public and private contexts. References Alva, S. (1998). Self-reported alcohol use of college fraternity and sorority members. Journal of College Student Development, 39, 3-10. Burns & Grove (1993). The practice of research. Retrieved on December 5, 2005 from www.fortunecity.com. Cahalan, D., Cisin, I., & Crossley, H. (1969). American drinking practices. Monograph no. 6, Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies, New Brunswick, New Jersey. Cavan, S. (1996). Liquor license: An ethnography of bar behavior. Aldine, Chicago. Eigen L. (1991). 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