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Risky Drinking Effects

Excessive drinking of alcohol is a common problem that cuts across gender and age.
Whether the heavy drinking is done once or over time, the consequences can be devastating, both
in the short and long term. Here is a look at why some college students, in particular, get caught
up in heavy alcohol use and some of the short and long term consequences of this destructive
habit.
Problem drinking among college students is a major concern as prevalence remains high,
especially among male students (McAlaney et al., 2015). The reasons why some college students
engage in heavy drinking are as many as they are varied. The most common ones are peer
influence and escapism.
College peers have been found to have a particularly strong influence in turning non-
drinkers or social drinkers into heavy alcohol consumers because drinking to get drunk is seen as
‘cool’ (McAlaney et al., 2015). Regarding escapism, it has been found that college students who
have problems with their teachers, friends, or academic work, turn to heavy alcohol use to escape
from their problems (McAlaney et al., 2015).
In the short term, the risks of excessive alcohol taking a range of relatively mild to
severe. Severe ones include various injuries, some of them fatal. For instance, it has been found
that alcohol consumption is a factor in three-fifths of drownings, and life-threatening burn
injuries, half of sexual assaults and severe trauma injuries, and two-fifths of fatal falls, suicides,
and fatal motor vehicle crashes (HHS, 2010). Other short-term effects include the inability to
think clearly, distorted hearing and vision, slurred speech, and poor vision (HHS, 2010). When
taken in huge quantities, alcohol may lead to unconsciousness, blackout, and even coma.

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In the long-term, excessive alcohol taking can have dire health and personal
consequences for the user. Among women, heavy drinking has been associated with risk of
breast cancer and various congenital disabilities to babies if the woman drinks while pregnant
(HHS, 2010).
Both men and women binge drinkers expose themselves to long-term risks such as stroke,
heart diseases, liver disease, depression, and many types of cancers such as cancer of the liver,
rectum, colon, larynx, and oral cavity cancer (HHS, 2010). Also, they may exacerbate existing
health problems such as chronic pain, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Another serious long-
term drinking effect is the risk of contracting various sexually transmitted diseases due to
alcohol-fueled unsafe sexual encounters. Apart from health problems, heavy alcohol drinking has
also been linked to numerous personal issues such as family breakups, loss of employment, and
one becoming ineligible for important documents such as driver’s license (HHS, 2010).
The effects of heavy alcohol drinking are, therefore, wide-ranging and severe. If one must
drink, then the drinking should be moderate. For pregnant women, there should be no drinking at
all. That is the only way of avoiding the terrible short term and long term alcohol drinking effects
discussed here.

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References

US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). (2010). Rethinking drinking: Alcohol and
your health. NIH Pub, (10-3770). Retrieved on 20 th November 2018 from
https://www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/How-much-is-too-much/Whats-the-
harm/What-Are-The-Risks.aspx