College life is often simultaneously fun, exciting and academically challenging. When you first arrived on your Florida college campus, you may have also encountered personal challenges associated with feeling homesick or socially awkward in a new and unfamiliar environment. Since then, you’ve probably connected to a few classmates, forming a circle of friends and study buddies to help you adapt to college life and work toward your goal of earning a degree in your major.
If you were to say that drinking alcohol is part of your college experience, you definitely wouldn’t be the first Florida college student to do so. Whether the fact places you at risk for personal or legal problems depends on numerous factors, your age, for one. It’s no secret that binge drinking is problematic in colleges throughout the nation. If you’re going to drink, it’s a good idea to know ahead of time where to seek support if a problem arises.
Be Aware of These Issues
A hangover may be the least of your worries if you wind up in jail or get kicked out of school because of an alcohol-related incident. To avoid these and other problems, it may help to review the following list of potential risks involved with alcohol consumption in college:
- Liver damage, pancreatic inflammation and high blood pressure may be health issues you commonly associated with older people; however, these are but a few of the serious health problems for which you are at risk if you often consume alcohol in college.
- Every year, approximately 150,000 college students develop the health problems mentioned in the previous section, as well as other adverse conditions because of their drinking habits.
- Most people become clumsy when intoxicated. Especially if you binge drink, you are at risk for personal injury, including bruises, broken bones and sprains.
- Does drinking alcohol help you to loosen up and feel at ease in social settings? It can also affect your ability to protect yourself from assault by lowering your inhibitions and cognitive awareness.
- You may be prone to do things under the influence of alcohol that you would never do while sober. Alcohol consumption places you at risk for criminal charges, especially if you get behind the wheel of a car to drive with alcohol in your system.
In addition to these potential problems related to alcohol consumption in college, don’t forget that partying with alcohol tends to have significant impact on your ability to get good grades. If your alcohol habit gets out of hand, your academic standing could plummet.
Overcoming Alcohol-Related Problems
Perhaps you’re one of many college students who can overcome problems related to alcohol on campus, simply by choosing to find a new hobby, some new friends or to otherwise change your own patterns of behavior. It’s not that easy for many people; however, there are typically multiple resources available on or near campus to point you in the right direction for personal, academic, or legal support.
