The impact of stress and internal problems on Binge Drinking. How does one affect the other?

Abstract

Binge drinking in colleges has been a notorious topic discussed for the past few decades. However, there are multiple reasons for binge drinking. The two primary branches are binge drinking due to peer pressure and binge drinking due to stress and depression. I am interested in the depression and stress aspects of binge drinking. My article is written to discuss what exactly is meant by depression and stress leading to binge drinking. I will also try to explain how they are both a spiraling effect, how they impact not only you but the people around you, and the repercussion. One of my biggest arguments would be trying to prove how depression and stress related binge drinking is an even bigger concern than peer-pressure. I will also talk about how it is underrepresented in today’s society. Whenever people think of binge drinking in college, they think about it in terms of Greek life and peer pressure. I want to prove that depression and stress related binge drinking is just as if not more important.

Introduction to Binge Drinking

Around last week a friend of mine called me at 6:30 in the morning. He said, “Dude, ummm we have a problem… There is a person sleeping in my room. I have no idea who they are. Just come down here.” Concerned for my friend, I rushed up to his room. Fortunately, their boyfriend came and took them back. This wasn’t the first time this happened to us. Around a week before that incident somebody came and slept in my own bed by accident. The root cause of both of these instances was binge drinking. However, what is the root cause of binge drinking? The false perception is that majority of binge drinking in college happens because people have too much fun. However, in most cases there is an internal conflict and pressures these people are facing which causes them to go down this dark path of binge drinking.

Binge drinking in general is considered the most serious problem in terms of public health concerns. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 5 or more drinks within 2 hours is considered the standard norm for binge drinking (Rational Beliefs, Stress, or Loneliness?). In a survey conducted in 2010, it was confirmed that 37% of students surveyed on college were students that partook in binge drinking.

Binge drinking due to Greek life

While it is true that stress-related binge drinking is college can be worse, there is no denying the fact that even binge drinking due to Greek life is very bad. The number of binge drinkers that are associated with fraternities are significantly higher than the number of binge drinkers not associated with a fraternity. 70% of the men and 50% of the women in fraternities and sororities indulge in binge drinking. “In addition, Cashin and colleagues reported that the average number of drinks consumed per week is significantly higher for Greek fraternity and sorority members (men: 12 drinks per week, women: 6 drinks per week) than for non-Greek fraternity and sorority members (men: 6 drinks, women: 2 drinks). Furthermore, although many of the negative consequences experienced by Greek members are prevalent among college students (e.g., hangovers, blackouts, unplanned sexual activity, and academic problems), fraternity and sorority members report experiencing these consequences at a much higher rate than do nonmembers” (binge drinking risks). This evidence makes it clear that Greek life can play a huge role in terms of binge drinking. I would go as far as to say that Greek life plays an impact on negative decisions made at college. But the main root cause behind guy and girls even joining Greek life is some problems that they have been dealing with since before college.

The internal causes for Binge Drinking

The internal causes of binge drinking go beyond joining Greek life (which instigates such behavior in students) and even reaches athletes. Because there are a lot of expectations from athletes, many times binge drinking is used as a coping mechanism. Another factor that can be considered an internal issue is peer pressure. Many times, athletes or even students drink more because of the perception of that their respective peers drink more than them. The sense of competition is also an internal factor that can lead a human being to make decisions that is not in their best choice.

Many challenges face researchers working with fraternity, sorority members, and student athletes, such as strong ingrained alcohol use traditions, low concern about personal drinking habits, low motivation to modify behavior, outright resistance to change, difficulty in gaining access to the populations, and various unsupported policies being implemented by institutions in an attempt to curb alcohol-related problem behavior. “Subjective norm refers to the extent to which individuals believe that other people think that they should or should not perform a particular behavior (Ajzen, 1991).” Regardless, these are college subpopulations that are at high risk and in need of further research attention. Studies that focus on the use of interventions, as well as continued studies on underlying themes behind higher levels of alcohol use, are needed to more clearly understand and derive appropriate interventions that impact drinking behaviors and their adverse consequences for these populations.

Another internal factor that can cause binge drinking is the perception through which a task can be deemed easy or difficult. In other to prove themselves to society (or even themselves) people can attempt to perform the task (in this case binge drinking).

The internal causes for Binge Drinking stemming from two things

All of the internal causes which could lead to binge drinking in an individual stem from two aspects: loneliness and stress. There is evidence from a study done in 2013 that shows that students with high levels of stress tend to drink heavily. “Park et al. (2004) examined students who completed daily surveys for 28 consecutive days, and they found that participants drank more alcohol on days that they had more stressful experiences. Backer-Fulghum et al. (2011) reported that, among a sample of college students, increased stress is linked to more alcohol-related problems (e.g., indicative of alcohol use or dependence in emerging adulthood).”, says writers Yixin Chen and Thomas Hugh Feeley. Not only in college but in society, under stressful events, individuals are forced into situations that would cause them to develop unhealthy habits and patterns to cope with that stress. This can in turn become a cascading spiral effect that leads to more drinking, which will cause more stress to your mind.

Personal anecdote

As we can see now, there are many internal factors that we discussed that can lead to potential binge drinking. I also mentioned how it is a cascading effect. When you start binge drinking, it impacts your mind even more, which will lead to more internal problems and stress. I have a friend who is a senior at UNC and a former binge drinker. He started binge drinking when he was in his junior year. He had gone into depression due to the stress from his classes and the pressures of the college norms. This led him to start drinking excessively. When he started binge drinking, it threw him into even more stress. One reason could be because it took a lot of time away from his work and responsibilities. Eventually he tried to quit it, but many of the people around him underestimated the impact of binge drinking due to stress. They felt it was an excuse for sympathy, but it wasn’t.

Work Cited

Turrisi, R., Mallett, K. A., Mastroleo, N. R., & Larimer, M. E. (2006, October). Heavy drinking in college students: who is at risk and what is being done about it? Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2238801/.

Wechsler, H., Lee, J. E., & Kuo, M. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2019, from http://vb3lk7eb4t.search.serialssolutions.com/

Chauvin, C. D. (2011, November 25). Social Norms and Motivations Associated with College Binge Drinking*. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1475-682X.2011.00400.x.

Chen, Y., & Feeley, T. H. (n.d.). Predicting Binge Drinking in College Students: Rational Beliefs, Stress, or Loneliness? — Yixin Chen, Thomas Hugh Feeley, 2015. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0047237916639812?utm_source=summon&utm_medium=discovery-provider.

Admin. (2018, December 22). Substance abuse unit warns against binge drinking during Christmas. Retrieved November 6, 2019, from https://www.stlucianewsonline.com/substance-abuse-unit-warns-against-binge-drinking-during-christmas/.

One of the sources I am using is an actual person who has struggled with binge drinking. They have requested that I keep them unknown, but I can use their story. I feel like there won’t be a better primary source. I can help me understand these impacts on a personal level. Reading about these impacts as statistics or information will not extrapolate the information as excessively as a primary source.