Sociology

Fatal road accidents violence which can even lead to death, poor performance in academics, irresponsible sexual behavior are some of the vices that are associated with abuse of alcohol in dorms by youth. Abuse of alcohol is manifested by excessive consumption of alcohol which may also be accompanied by abuse of other substances. Alcohol abuse in dorms is a very serious problem because it involves underage individuals who are dependent on parents or guardians for everything. These youth live carefree lives because they dont work for anything and therefore do not feel the pinch of any money wasted. This is a major problem that is of much concern and that should be addressed amicably to prevent this habit which can be life threatening. Alcoholism in dorms involves residing students.

The majority of the affected lot comprises of students who reside in college or university dormitories and training camps such as military and technical schools.  The most threatening issue is that this group is made up of young men and women who should be focusing on having a bright future instead of endangering their health and life. One of the factors, in my opinion, that can attribute to alcohol abuse includes the role of campus lifestyle in influencing student behavior but not limited to the sense of personality and other environmental factors involved. There are a number of reasons that lead to abuse of alcohol in dorms.

Excessive drinking among on-campus students is more evident owing to the fact that these students have plenty of free time. Incase they experience boredom at any given time, they resort to drinking. In contrast, trainees and or students who live on their own outside institutions drink less and I attribute this to their having access to a number of other recreational facilities such that they are exposed to integrating with other members of society. The abuse of alcohol therefore is robbing the young generation of its human-resources for the future and in the long term this will have adverse effects on any countrys economy. This is the group of people who are expected replace the older generation in various fields of profession. However, the major task lies not on how to deal with repercussions of this menace such as sexually transmitted diseases, low output in work and addiction, but on how to avert this culture of alcohol abuse.

A number of mechanisms can be applied by various institutional administrations and other stakeholders who have direct relations with students as they are in a better position to influence them directly. Education of students way before they join tertiary institutions is one way of dealing with this menace with an aim of helping them shun the habit when they grow up.

These mechanisms are however applicable if and only if, factors leading to alcoholism are established first. Students who freshly join institutions of higher learning are the most vulnerable group to abusing alcohol as they try to adapt with campus lifestyle. For most of them, they embrace drinking alcohol while in the process of making new friends. In addition, the feeling that they now have a sense of autonomy far away from their parents and an opportunity to manage their finances makes them feel at liberty. They therefore become addicted to alcohol. Also, I can attribute to some extent availability of pubs inside campuses to increase access to alcohol. Many students can afford to pass by these pubs comfortably as they leave lecture halls. In contrast, their counterparts -off-campus students- hurry to catch up with any transport means while others go to accomplish certain chores different from academics at their places of residence. Hence, this deprives them of necessary time to think about drinking. Other factors include the type of institutions of associations, clubs and the kind of activities they render to their members.

Some institutions for instance, are sports based whereas others are academic based and various clubs and associations render recreational activities that incite members to take alcohol. It is therefore not strange to find out that most of their members are drunkards and will borrow this habit from year-end parties and other banquets that these associations offer them. In sports, drinking is one of the readily available ways to refresh after a long-days work and many students will start to consume gradually and end-up becoming addicted to alcohol. The varied and complex personality of students in institutions also influences to a large extent their behavioral conduct.

I hold the view that some students start consuming alcohol way back before joining their current institutions of higher learning. After joining, they influence those they interact with in classes, clubs and other associations. Many of these students are teenagers and emulate various personalities in their fields of interest such as sports and music industry and practice these celebrities lifestyle so as to gain fame that they belong to a certain clique. With respect to this, they are influenced to take alcohol and be recognized that they belong to a particular class. Therefore, life skills should be taught in these organizations so that the students identify with them and get influenced positively.

The Journal of American College Health (2000) states some of the effects of alcohol on young people include wasting time that would have been used for study. There is immediate need to mitigate this phenomenon, and this lies squarely on institution administrations, clubs and associations in which the student relate to upon admission. College administrations should enact curriculum programs that address alcohol abuse and implement them in the first year of study. I also recommend that these institutions should instigate campaigns through publications in academic journals targeting alcohol abuse on an on-going basis. In addition, relating alcohol with music and sports in media adverts needs to be restricted.

I also recommend that the age at which people start drinking alcohol be increased to around 21. Alongside this alcoholic beverages should be heavily taxed so that new prices can intimidate the youngsters.