A recent article that appeared in the Reuters News Agency regarding a study published in the Journal of American College Health showed a 2.5 times increase in weekly binge drinking at co-ed college dorms (41 percent of the total students surveyed). Given that that binge drinking creates a higher incidence of risky behavior, the report also showed an increase of promiscuity, with twice the amount of students in co-ed dorms claiming to have had 3 or more sexual partners within the last year.
To a student, this may at first appear like a haven, but American universities have consistently proven to be less of acedemic institutions and more of a harborer of substance abuse and other dangerous behavior. Of course it’s not up to colleges to raise our children, but we do pay them to educate them and help them become adults. Instead, many colleges not only ignore underage drinking and other substance abuse but often even promote it.
When I was in college and when I visited friends at their schools, the buzz on campus was always about the parties, the alcohol and the drugs - it was not about grades and careers. There have been other studies that show that binge drinking and other substance abuse is higher among college students (and subsequently needing to go to a drug rehab or addiction treatment center) than other young adults not attending college. Perhaps this is one reason why trade schools that teach real-world skills and immediate job training are becoming more popular among employers. Who cares if your parents paid 100K for you to get drunk for four years? Can you do the job or not? Are you a responsible adult or not?
Tags: addiction treatment, binge drinking, college dorms, drug rehab, substance abuse