Alcohol Analyzed
Source: Community-Coalition on Drug Awareness
As most discussions surrounding alcohol usage demonize and discourage drinking, many college students do not see alcohol as something that can benefit their health.
However, Dr. Seong-Ho Lee, nutrition professor at the University of Maryland, says that drinking in moderation can be healthy. According to Lee, consumption of alcohol can help the body produce glucose and burn fat at a faster rate. Alcohol raises high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good cholesterol” levels. High HDL partnered with lower low-density lipoprotein levels can reduce the risk of blood clots, clogged arteries and gallstones from forming.
While drinking in moderation can be an asset to one’s health, it is practically nonexistent in the drinking culture surrounding college campuses.
Researchers from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism say that approximately 20 percent of college students meet the credentials for alcohol use disorder. Over 37 percent of college students have admitted to binge drinking in the last month, which constitutes any behavior that brings blood alcohol concentration to more than .08 g/dL, according to researchers. This usually occurs after four drinks for women and five for men in about 2 hours, according to the NIAAA website.
The consequences of these behaviors can be life threatening. Researchers estimate that over 1,800 college students die every year from alcohol related injuries, about 696,000 students are assaulted by others who have been drinking and 97,000 experience date rape and other forms of alcohol-related sexual assault annually. One example of this in action is through the recent death of Pennsylvania State University student Tim Piazza and the Stanford University sexual assault case.
“When young people are in a new environment, they get nervous. Nerves can turn into excitement with the help of alcohol,” Harriette Baker, a national lecturer on responsible drinking, said in a speech she gave to UMD students in October 2017. “College kids drink to cope with the change in environment and the awkwardness of getting to know so many new people at once.” According to Baker, drinking becomes habitual once students “see how much more ‘likable’ they become thanks to alcohol.”
Students at the University of Maryland have access to many on-campus and off-campus resources for substance abuse centers. The University Health Center offers the Substance Use, Intervention, and Treatment Unit that gives students resources to help them with abuse problems. One student who went to SUIT said she was referred to a local Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in the city of College Park. The student, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she backed out last minute and decided to seek out other alternatives instead.
“I have had some bad experiences that have made me consider getting help,” said one senior economics major who requested to remain anonymous. “But the thought of taking a class like Alcoholics Anonymous in an area like College Park scares me more than continuing to do what I do.”
“Drinking in moderation is okay,” Dr. Lee said. “It is when people overdrink that it can be dangerous for someone’s health.”
