Every Day We See The Effects Of The Drink, Drunk People. Staggering, S

Every day we see the effects of the drink, drunk people. Staggering, slurring, spitting and vomiting. What is this evil hemlock? Whether Beer, wine or liquor, they all have the potential for disaster. Pure ethyl alcohol (ETOH), is odorless, colorless and tasteless. Alcohol is one of the most enigmatic products we consume today; in fact, it has been with us since the Stone Age. The Bible alludes to Noah's getting drunk; it was a staple on the Mayflower as it crossed the Atlantic to America. Grandfathers share their beer with toddlers sitting on their knees while mothers tell their children to wait until they're of legal age before they drink. By some it's considered the devil's brew, yet others use it in sacred ritual. It has survived temperance movements in Italy, Germany, England and the United States. It has been used as a thirst quencher, to relieve hunger, as a medication, and as a mind-altering drug. Today, the brew plagues a very susceptible audience, college students. According to Dr. Henry Wechsler, principal investigator in the Harvard study of college drinking, 44 percent of all undergraduates in the United States binge drink--a rate that has been fairly constant for almost 20 years. It also found that 23 percent of the men and 17 percent of the women were frequent binge drinkers--downing a bunch of drinks three or more times in two weeks.(College Alcohol Study Harvard School of public Health) To understand the true basic nature of the issue, it is first necessary to define the issue. "Binge drinking, is defined as five or more drinks for a man at any one time within a two-week period, four or more drinks for a woman.(ACPA) This definition doesn't mean getting falling-down drunk, says Dr. Henry Wechsler, instead, having five drinks in a row indicates problems associated with drinking. What's more, he found that few students who consume five, often continue to drink six or more. THE FACTS An in depth survey of nearly 15,000 students at 116 universities and colleges in 39 states was conducted. Released in September, at the Harvard School of Public Health, the survey compared college drinking today with baseline data gathered in 1993. (College Alcohol Study Harvard School of public Health) Among the findings: o The proportion of drinkers who drank to get drunk increased by a third, from 39 percent in 1993 to 52 percent in 1997. o The proportion of drinkers who got drunk three or more times in the previous month increased by 22 percent. o More than one-third of the students surveyed reported driving after drinking, a 13 percent increase since 1993. o Four out of five fraternity and sorority members were binge drinkers. Despite highly publicized tragedies and continuing examinations of college alcohol policies, the data indicate ... an intensification of severe drinking behavior among college students who drink alcohol, said Henry Wechsler, Ph.D., the principal investigator. Fraternity and sorority members, and especially students who live in the houses, continue to be at the center of the campus alcohol culture. If colleges are to have an impact on their alcohol problems, they must drastically change this way of life.(College Alcohol Study Harvard School of public Health) Academics & Risks What one must keep in mind is that drinking is not just directly related to drunkenness, there are a large number of other factors effected by the anarchy. It is understandable that there could be a resulting decline in academic prowess and performance, but violence, drugs and jail? Tim Anderl, an Ohio University senior, says that typically, By the end of the fall, you're broke and your grades are in the gutter.(About.com/Alcoholism) Indeed, many students spend more money in a semester on alcohol--over $300--than they do on books. According to the CSAP, college students spend approximately $4.2 billion annually to purchase: 430 million gallons of alcoholic beverages, including over four billion cans of beer.(CSAP) There's also a correlation between drinking and grades. One study found that A students have, on average, three drinks a week, while those making D's and F's average 11 drinks a week.(ACPA) Research at the center on addiction and substance abuse say that alcohol is a factor in about 41 percent of all academic problems and 28 percent of all cases of student dropout. The drinkers risk an