The effects of alcohol use on academic achievement in college

Alcohol consumption becomes a controversial issue when it comes to its association with poor academic achievements. Indeed, there is no doubt that alcohol drinking may harm college and school attainment. Scientific research backs up this hypothesis by concrete data analyses. Besides, we put forward certain valuable solutions for the next decade that may help reduce the academic performance deficiency caused by alcohol use.

Social environment and excessive drinking

Research conducted by Lorant, Nicaise, Soto, and d’Hoore supports the idea that the environments in which college students are situated have to do with the abusive and excessive alcohol consumption. These social settings could be on-campus residences and student dormitories where uncontrolled parties and other social events might take place. Based on their data analysis results, out of 6,992 students 25.4 % are heavy drinkers. Only 6% of the participating students have never drunk alcohol in the last year.

According to their research, college responsibles have to take action against immoderate alcohol drinking among university students and sensitize them to the importance of alcohol consumption etiquette. The very study sheds light on heavy alcohol consumption in relation with factors such as adolescence, antisocialism, and pleasure. In addition, Lorant asserted that this trend of abusive drinking affects both health and academic achievements.

The effect of alcohol consumption on GPA

A study put forward by Balsa, Giuliano, and French revealed that there is a correlation between the high level of alcohol drinking and the low level of GPA in males. The piece of research examined the extent to which high school students could be negatively affected by the alcohol consumption, which was proven through GPA and measured by means of fixed-effects statistical models.

In this regard, GPA is considered as a variable of high school achievement. The grades were taken from official high school transcripts, which strengthens the reliability and credibility of the study, unlike self-reported GPA used in other studies that turned out to be biased in terms of results. Although other studies have proven the negative effect of alcohol use on students’ GPA, the study under scrutiny addressed the causal relationship between alcohol consumption and GPA with more plausible and rigorous analytic tools and measures.

The study does not overlook the individual heterogeneity, which makes it different from previous ones. However, the statistical significance of the results is small for males. That is to say, there is a small likelihood that alcohol has negative effects on high school male students GPA. But, the alcohol effects on females are non-significant.

According to Balsa, alcohol drinking presents a risk for high-school students when it comes to academic achievements such as GPA.

Why does alcohol drinking hinder academic achievement ?

It should be admitted that alcohol is harmful for high school and college students. The fact that it affects the brain and the body is a valid reason why it is a negative habit. For example, it would not be possible to write a college essay while you are drunk, nor could it be possible to manage your study time and sleep when you are a heavy drinker who is actively partying instead of studying. As a result, academic achievements are more likely to be inhibited. Academic failure is the ultimate result of abusive alcohol consumption.

When the drinking habit is frequently indulged at a young age, chances are the student’s brain could be impaired in areas where learning takes place, which could affect the memory and impede the performance of synthetic and analytic tasks.

Heavy alcohol drinkers usually spend much time partying and participating in different social events, which is conducive to laziness and disregard of academic duties and due assignment deadlines. Hence, custom assignment writing could be a short-term solution, but it does not resolve the problem unless the student becomes aware of the necessity to regulate their drinking routine.

Prospects for the next decade

In order to address the issue of alcohol drinking effects in connection with academic performance, we have to zoom in on the main variables and factors leading to the matter. As shown in some studies, the environments in which students find themselves are leading to their social involvement which, in turn, leads to excessive drinking. Hence, more responsibility on the part of college and educational authorities has to be undertaken through taking some restrictive measures against drinking on campuses and dormitories. In addition, cooperation between universities and campus controlling offices could be helpful in regulating the supervision of students.

As class skipping was proven by some research to be associated with heavy drinking, then strict rules and orders have to be imposed on students who are frequently skipping class without justified reasons. As the issue is not totally education-related, health authorities could collaborate through the examination of students’ health every now and then to verify if there are any serious signs of alcohol addiction in certain students. If taken into consideration, such solutions would bring back discipline and advance academic achievements.

In conclusion, alcohol drinking has serious effects on students’ academic success due to a variety of environmental, psychological, and social factors. Research consolidated the negative effect of alcohol drinking on GPA mainly for male students. Educational and health authorities have to keep a watchful eye on students’ drinking habits so as to control its risks on health and on learning.