How does alcohol influence campus life?
Most students grow up in a culture which equates the consumption of alcohol with having fun, relaxing, making social situations complete and reducing tension. Drinking alcohol has become a rite of passage for some young people in this country, and many students come to college having learned to drink during their high school years. Students’ decisions to use alcohol are strongly affected by environmental and peer influences, which combine to create a culture of drinking. This culture actively promotes drinking, or passively promotes it, through tolerance, or even tacit approval. The alcohol beverage industry aggressively targets young adults through advertising and program sponsorship such as MTV programs and sports events (Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, Georgetown University, 2002). The use of alcohol on campus has created a culture of beliefs and customs, entrenched in every level of college students’ environments. These beliefs and customs, combined with the expectations the
