Oct 10 2012
Overindulgence 101
What happens when you mix two teaspoons of freedom, an ounce of desire to standout, and a pound of invincibility? Unfortunately, more often than not you get a college student in the hospital. Whether binge drinking, attempting an ill-advised prank, or one of the dozens of other foolish things done by students, the common denominator is self-destruction.
Claire DeRoin first met “Soccer Mom” at a party. Mom was on the floor passed out and had no comment after. Dan Corey is leaving KTIV for greener pastures hopefully. Not wanting to start off on the wrong foot, Corey also declined to share the details of a binge.
Everyone does it. Search any social media site and browse the albums of a friend. There are Youtube videos galore on binges and those who go overboard. Tune into any media today and you’ll see the stereotype of what a college student is supposed to do. Here’s one from Youtube:
College is the place where everyone is figuring himself or herself out. Some do it in different ways, and sometimes those ways are self-destructive. Blogger Tomochka asked a classmate about her recently acquired smoking habit to which she replied, “Oh, I do not know. Just wanted to see how it is, to smoke.”
Going to college can be a stressful time so it’s hardly surprising that many students fall victim to self-destructive behavior. Chances are that you or your dorm mates know someone who has engaged in some sort of negative behavior, especially after midterms or finals where stress levels are at their peaks.
Dr. James Golden, addiction medicine physician at the Betty Ford Center says, “The young adult brain continues to develop until approximately age 25. Younger adults have a need to engage in activities with a perceived risk, yet they simultaneously have a decreased ability to control impulses when compared to adults over 25.”
Yet while it can be said, “kids will be kids” when does the fault of poor behavior choices fall into their laps? According to the federal Centers for Disease Control in 2010, “one in four young adults binge drink, i.e., drink four or more alcoholic beverages in the span of a few hours.”
Author Lynn O’shaughnessy lists two trends she believes contribute to self-destructive behavior among students: “First students go off to college having had unprecedented luxuries growing up…Transitioning to a largely unsupervised residence hall just kick starts their desire to live a life like they have seen on MTV and in the popular media.”
The second reason she believes is, “Colleges, in their quest to recruit students, provide accommodations and amenities that are more like cruise ships.”
Like it or not, college-admission officials are fighting back. According to New York City based Kaplan Test Prep the number of colleges using Facebook and other social-networking sites (to learn about applicants) has quadrupled over the past year. In the 2011 survey twelve percent of admissions officers reported discovering underage-drinking photos, vulgarities, and “illegal activities.”
Though not listed in the aforementioned report, the latest craze among students according to Dennis Romero is “butt chugging.”
Romero says, “It hit the headlines late last month after University of Tennessee frat boy Alexander Broughton was hospitalized following and alleged backdoor drinking sesh.”
Tune into any media outlet and you’ll see the stereotype of what a college student is supposed to do. Below is a brief sampling. Remind you of anyone you know?
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