Health Center
Effects of Alcohol
Alcohol and Academics
College is a time to prepare for the future. Building lasting relationships and enjoying your time in college is important. But the real reason you’re here is to get an education and develop who you are and who you want to be. The choices you make outside of the classroom can significantly impact your performance in the classroom. Alcohol use can contribute to:
Skipping class
Missing deadlines
Bombing a test or project because of the aftereffects of drinking
Impairing the ability to think abstractly for up to 30 days, limiting the ability to relate textbook reading to in-class discussion
Taken together, all of these factors can result in lower grades as a result of increased alcohol use. A nationwide CORE Alcohol and Drug survey found the following trend: Impairing the brain’s ability to form new memories, thus making it difficult to study
o A average students consumed about 3.3 drinks per week
o B average students consumed about 4.8 drinks per week
o C average students consumed about 6.1 drinks per week
o D or F average students consumed about 9.0 average drinks per week
average number of drinks per week by GPA
This means, the more you drink, the more likely it is your grades will suffer.
Alcohol and the Community
Although, the majority of college students are not heavy drinkers, with nearly one-fifth abstaining from all alcohol use, these students frequently suffer from the behavior of other students who drink heavily. The impact of High-Risk drinking habits of some impact others in a variety of ways, ranging in nature from small annoyances that interfere with one’s studies to criminal behavior and serious acts of violence. Students who are not heavy drinkers are often impacted by:
Having study or sleep interrupted.
Taking care of a drunken student.
Being insulted or humiliated.
Experiencing an unwanted sexual advance.
Having a serious argument or quarrel.
Having property damaged.
Being pushed, hit, or assaulted.
Being victimized by sexual assault or acquaintance rape (Click for sexual assault response info)