Pops of luminous hues light up the night sky while the smell of hot dogs, hamburgers and firecrackers waft through the humid, sticky air. Lawn chairs are placed periodically throughout the tufts of grass, as individuals lounge in them, enjoying conversation with friends and family. Gazing up at the lights in the sky, lighting off fireworks or enjoying a laidback barbecue with buddies, many individuals across the United States celebrate their independence on one of the most popular holidays of the year, some by drinking beer and contributing to a memorable statistic: most cases of beer sold in one day.
According to a CNBC article, 63.5 million cases of beer are sold every July 4. However, excessive drinking on the Fourth of July is not an isolated concern by health professionals, as year-round, binge drinking is on the rise among Americans.
According to a 2013 survey released by the National Institutes of Health, nearly 32 million Americans aged 18 and over consumed more than twice the number of drinks considered as binge drinking on at least one occasion in a year.
However, in addition to prevalent binge drinking among many U.S. populations, there is large concern about college students and underage drinkers participating in binge drinking too, the study stated. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reported that 5.1 million young adults participated in binge drinking in the last month. Binge drinking is defined as four or more drinks consumed on an
The Harvard School of Public Health has done numerous studies on college binge drinking. These studies are known as the standard for binge drinking data. They define binge drinking
• The demand of American beer has been increased in Europe, Asia and South America.
Binge drinking is considered to be a health problem because nearly half of all college students have reported to drink more than 5 drinks is a short period of time (Hennessee, 2013). There has been about 1,825 college students who have died from alcohol-related injuries such as motor-vehicle crashes with the students being between 18 - 24 years old (College Drinking Fact Sheet, 2015). An increase of 6% of college deaths has occurred due to binge breaking increasing the total amount from 1,600 to 1,700 (Hingson, Heeren, & Wechsler, n.d.).
There are reports that there is a problem with binge drinking among college students; approximately 80%–85% of college students have used alcohol, with approximately 40%–45% being classified as binge drinkers. Native Americans are more likely than other groups to binge drink; 32.8% of American Indian/Alaska Native adults binge drink in comparison to 23.4% of whites. Native American youth have reported higher rates of lifetime and recent alcohol use in comparison with those from other racial/ethnic backgrounds. Many colleges have manditory alcohol awarness courses for incoming
“According to the CDC, about 90% of all teen alcohol consumption occurs in the form of Binge Drinking, which experts say peaks at the age of nineteen.” (qtd by Listfield). Binge Drinking is the consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol in a short period of time. The author, Emily Listfield, defines that the standard alcohol consumption over a two hour period is considered to be four beers for women and five beers for men. This has become a great distraction for college students nationwide and a major dilemma on college campuses. Nearly two hundred thousand students visit emergency rooms each year due to the abuse of alcohol, and more than one thousand seven hundred students die. In the article “ The Underage Drinking Epidemic”, Listfield identifies the problems that underage drinking can cause, the dangers that could happen, and four solutions on what parents can do to keep their kids from binge drinking.
Today most people think of the Fourth of July as a holiday to celebrate freedom. However, in
First of all, binge drinking has been a problem for some time now. It has climbed over the past few years, capturing more attention from the media. A study
What do failing grades, frequent memory lapses, fights, brutal hangovers and unplanned sexual activity all have in common? They are all frequent results of binge drinking by college students. On a typical Friday or Saturday night you can find the average college student out drinking and having fun. Normally partying with friends at a party, bar, or club; most of these college students are underage consuming excessive amounts of alcohol, or as its better known, “binge drinking.”The term binge drinking is defined as the consumption of five or more drinks in a row by men and four or more drinks in a row by women, at least once in a two week period. “One” drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine, or one shot of liquor. Alcohol
(Alcohol and Public Health,2017) study found the following: Binge drinking is a serious but preventable public health problem.
Underage drinking is very common in the United States. Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug in the United States, even more so than illicit drugs (Marijuana, Cocaine, etc…) and tobacco. “In 2012 the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 24% of youth aged 12 to 20 years drink alcohol and 15% reported binge drinking. In 2013, the Monitoring the Future Survey reported that 28% of 8th graders and 68%
1. A 2007 by the substance abuse and mental health services administration found that 19 percent of 16 and 17 yea olds binge drink on alcohol each month.
July 4, 1776 marked a very special day. A day that holds the future for many. The day that reminds us year after year up to this day and beyond that we shall never forget. How special you may ask? July 4th is known as the 4th of July. We celebrate this day with fireworks, parades, cookouts, camping, vacations, and more. What are we celebrating? We are celebrating the day America became free. The day our founding fathers adopted the Declaration of Independence. The day that 13 colonies claimed their independence from Great Britain.
Those that participate in binge drinking do it for many different reasons, a bad test grade, roommate arguments, celebration for a job well done, peer pressure, or simply because it is the weekend. No one is saying that it is wrong to go out and have a few drinks but when students go out and just drink to get drunk, actions must be taken to stop such activity. According to the graph on the next page done by the Harvard Public School of Health it is clear that a majority of students drink to simply get wasted. [Colorado State University 1] The number of binge drinkers may not have gone up in 1999 compared to 1997, for every five students two are binge drinkers, or 44%. [Wechsler #2, 1] However, the intensity of drinking has increased, when students are going out they are having more to drink. [Wechsler #2, 2]
“In Georgia, about 165,000 people aged 12–20 (13.3% of all people in this age group) per year in 2009–2013* reported binge alcohol use within the month prior to being surveyed.”
A “binge drinker” is defined as a person who has more than 5 drinks in one sitting, which is becoming a large issue at college campuses worldwide. Presidents from over 100 universities have voted to lower the drinking age in order to cut the amount of underage drinking on campuses. “Frequent users” will drink anywhere from three times a week to everyday. A “moderate user” is someone who drinks anywhere from once a week to once a month. The decision of whether or not to keep the drinking age at 21 or lower it to 18 is continually discussed between groups such as MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, who fight to keep the drinking age at 21 and LAFAA, Legalize Alcohol For All Adults, who fight to lower the drinking age.