Alcohol and the Hook Up Culture: Sexual Assaults in the Making - Thesis Example

Recent statistics indicate that in the year 2012, over 60.3 percent of the youth aged between 18 and 22 were involved in alcohol consumption. Out of these, 40.1 percent were involved in (binge) drinking i.e. taking five more drinks on an occasion. On the other hand, the report indicates that 14.4 percent of same were involved in heavy drinking i.e. consuming five or more on an occasion or more occasions per month (NIAAA www.niaaa.nih.gov). The high percentage of the American youth engaging in drinking alcohol is worrying and, as such, authorities need to step up efforts towards prevention.

Although many scholars have linked heavy drinking to the rampant cases of sexual assaults experienced among the youth in the US, this problem is never given the appropriate attention it needs. Sexual assault is simply non-consensual sexual contact that occurs between individuals through forceful means. It is one form of sexual violence that often happens to women both young and adults. It is important to note that sexual assault is not an indication of uncontrolled desire or arousal, rather it is a behavioral act.

Sexual assault occurs at many socioeconomic levels of society (Chu 8). Part of the reasons why sexual assaults get little attention is the disagreements regarding the role of alcohol in sexual assault cases: Consequently, this has become a stumbling block in the formulation of prevention strategies. It is true that traditional myths that justify drinking as an explanation for rape are a reality (Leonard). Due to such myths, some advocates are of the view that acknowledging the pervasive role of binge drinking in assaults may be viewed largely as blaming the victim.

While the overall responsibility of sexual assault is pegged on the perpetrator, assuming the role of alcohol will only escalate the problem (Leonard www.buffalo.edu/ria). Hook-up culture, on the other hand, refers to the short sexual encounters that occur between people who are neither romantic partners nor dating one another. It is a culture that has been on the rise in recent times and especially among college students and emerging adults. This hook-up culture seems to have quickly impacted the traditional forms of courting and pursuing romantic relationships (Heldman & Wade 324).