Update on Research on Alcoholism Amongst College Students
In my continued research on alcoholism amongst college students, my main issue has been trying to get the best clear definition of the term alcoholism or alcoholic. It has been a challenged because many people have different ideas in their mind as what it exactly means to be an alcoholic. After some digging around, I found a medical definition from the Mayo Clinic that I felt was the best. Defining someone as an alcoholic is a difficult task because it is not like one can go get a test and have the results tell them if they are exactly an alcoholic or not. It is something that depends on someone’s judgment to diagnose alcoholism.
Another issue with trying to think about why alcoholism is so popular amongst college students is the exposure that students are getting from around them. It makes it almost impossible to quit drinking whenever everybody you know is going out to party and have a good time. Additionally many movies, TV shows, and YouTube channels expose the awe and glamor of the party scene at schools without revealing much of the effects of what all is really happening to some people. Attempting to change this exposure with alcoholism is something that is way beyond my capabilities, because it involves trying to change the American Culture as a whole with media.
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I had a similar problem when researching for my topic. Much like alcoholism, obesity has many resources regarding information on the topic. Statistics, facts, and figures are well provided on almost every aspect. What is not clearly stated is how to define obesity. Along with alcoholism, obesity is different for every person whom it affects. Unfortunately because every person is different, it is hard to provide guidelines for groups of people who are obese or alcoholic, and who is not. Maybe the best way to provide some sort of clear rule, is to gather the definitions given on various different sites and summarize them as much as possible into one general statement.
I think your topic is really interesting! We tend to rationalize the fact that we drink so much in college strictly because it is college and that’s what’s acceptable. I know my friends and I will joke around and call each other “alcoholics” , but it makes you wonder where the line is crossed between just having fun and developing a serious disease. I personally am very interested to see what definition you come up with.
While you have a valid point that changing American culture is out of your grasp, I think you still have the ability to make a change on a smaller scale. I don’t think a lot of college students are aware of the harm binge drinking can do to their bodies and/or completely disregard what we are told because it is almost always in the form of a lecture telling us not to drink. As a college student, you have the unique ability to share information with your peers in a non-condescending fashion that could potentially change a lot of people’s views on drinking. So maybe you aren’t changing American culture, but you are making a difference to the people around you.