It's time to think about your drink
As they wave goodbye to their parents, most first-year students walk into a similar situation. It involves a few hundred people they've never seen in your life and as much social lubricant as they can handle… and then some. The Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment explains that many people consider the excessive drinking in the first year of college or university a "rite of passage." While some drink to fit in with their peers who are engaging in the same behaviour, others have been waiting for this opportunity for years.
Brad Timmons (name changed to protect privacy) is a third-year student at Western University and has done a year of study here at the college as well. When he graduated high school, he'd already been drinking for a number of years. "My buddies and I drank for the hell of it, really. Besides drinking, there's not a lot to do at home." It's common knowledge that in the absence of meaningful activities, many teenagers will engage in self-destructive behaviour. Further proof of this can be found in isolated Northern communities where, for lack of anything else to do, some children huff gas out of plastic bags.
In 2009, the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment published an article titled "College students rarely seek help despite serious substance abuse problems." It examined why only a tiny number of students independently seek help, reasons for their hesitation and strategies to combat the problem. According to their research, almost a quarter of "18- to 25-year-olds meet the criteria for an alcohol or illicit drug use disorder." By way of comparison, that percentage falls to 8 per cent outside of that age bracket. In the words of Timmons, "First year was definitely a lot more drinking. Having the new independence, meeting new people and not having to stumble home to Mom made for more frequent/heavier drinking opportunities."
The conditions that lead to addiction are extremely varied and case specific, but an individual's mental attitude towards alcohol is often the determining factor. The classification of alcoholism itself has changed dramatically over the last century. Bill Margrett, a counsellor at Fanshawe's Counselling and Accesibility office, has taken a keen interest in the behaviour of students as they pass through post-secondary institutions. He put together a timeline titled "Our Changing View of Addiction" that lists the progression of how experts have defined the condition. His timeline ends with our modern view, which labels addiction as a "bio-psycho-social phenomenon." In English, that means it's a multi-factorial condition; several factors contribute to the creation of alcohol dependence.
By definition, the three elements of the phenomenon are a person's biology, psychology and social life. Biologically, alcohol causes a physical dependence, while psychologically it can cause dependence by making you associate all the positive experiences that happened while intoxicated with the alcohol instead of the event. The other contributing factor is the environment you drink in. It's easy to begin associating social gatherings with drinking alcohol, since it's virtually always present at social functions. All three of these factors address the primary addictive property of alcohol which is our cultural pursuit of "no pain." Margrett listed this as the highest value in our society, and alcohol enables us to minimize any physical, mental or emotional pain we may be experiencing.
While there are many tests for alcohol dependency, the vast majority focus on the external side of alcohol addiction. They measure how many drinks you consume, how often, what time of day and so on. The reality is that a 105 lb person would only need a few drinks to become as intoxicated as a 250 lb person who's a few pitchers in. To truly determine the role alcohol plays in your life, there are some self-searching questions you can ask yourself:
- Does it take more alcohol for you to feel the same effect than it used to? Tolerance to alcohol increases with frequent consumption.
- Do you have difficulty not drinking? Irritability, lack of sleep and cold sweating are all side effects of withdrawal.
- Do you find yourself drinking more than you meant to? If the six-pack per night isn't enough anymore, it's a good indicator that you're experiencing the first warning sign: tolerance.
- Does it take more alcohol for you to feel the same effect than it used to? Tolerance to alcohol increases with frequent consumption.
- Do you have difficulty not drinking? Irritability, lack of sleep and cold sweating are all side effects of withdrawal.
- Do you find yourself drinking more than you meant to? If the six-pack per night isn't enough anymore, it's a good indicator that you're experiencing the first warning sign: tolerance.
Other more obvious indicators are being unable to lower your level of consumption and an increase in the amount of time spent not only drinking, but also finding alcohol and recovering from hangovers. This will be accompanied by an equal decrease in the amount of time you spend doing other things you used to consider important, such as spending time with family or your hobbies.
The idea of cutting back may seem like simply having less fun. The amount of fun you're having has nothing to do with how drunk you are and has everything to do with who you're with and what you're doing. It may feel like you have an obligation to your friends and peer pressure can take many forms. Western student Brad Timmons had to deal with pressure from friends and discovered that sometimes there's no nice way to say no. "Rarely would I drink on a weeknight, but having friends and housemates nag me was irritating. You have to set your priorities straight, regardless of the pressure, and just tell them off, essentially." It might feel like being a bad sport or a party pooper, but the habits you form at this stage in life will carry over into your later years.
If you feel like you're being dragged to bars and parties, it might be time to step up and do something that you want to do, even if that something is staying home with a textbook. On the other hand, if you're worried about how often you are the one dragging friends to bars, the Counselling and Accessibility Services office at Fanshawe's London campus, in room F2010, offers free and confidential services to all students. Whether you want to discuss your concerns or make a plan to cut back, they have professionals who want to see you achieve your goals.
Drinking by the numbers:
86 per cent of college students in a study reported having had at least one alcoholic drink in their lifetime
66 per cent drank alcohol at least once in the last month
39 to 44 per cent had gone binge drinking in the last two weeks
33 per cent met the criteria for alcohol abuse
32.5 per cent of health centres at universities routinely screen for alcohol problems
17 per cent of colleges use standardized screening
(Data taken from National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test
1. How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?
(0) Never (Skip to Questions 9-10)
(1) Monthly or less
(2) Two to four times a month
(3) Two to three times a week
(4) Four or more times a week
2. How many drinks containing alcohol do you have on a typical day when you are drinking?
(0) One or two
(1) Three or four
(2) Five or six
(3) Seven to nine
(4) 10 or more
3. How often do you have six or more drinks on one occasion?
(0) Never
(1) Less than monthly
(2) Monthly
(3) Weekly
(4) Daily or almost daily
4. How often during the last year have you found that you were not able to stop drinking once you had started?
(0) Never
(1) Less than monthly
(2) Monthly
(3) Weekly
(4) Daily or almost daily
5. How often during the last year have you failed to do what was normally expected from you because of drinking?
(0) Never
(1) Less than monthly
(2) Monthly
(3) Weekly
(4) Daily or almost daily
6. How often during the last year have you been unable to remember what happened the night before because you had been drinking?
(0) Never
(1) Less than monthly
(2) Monthly
(3) Weekly
(4) Daily or almost daily
7. How often during the last year have you needed an alcoholic drink first thing in the morning to get yourself going after a night of heavy drinking?
(0) Never
(1) Less than monthly
(2) Monthly
(3) Weekly
(4) Daily or almost daily
8. How often during the last year have you had a feeling of guilt or remorse after drinking?
(0) Never
(1) Less than monthly
(2) Monthly
(3) Weekly
(4) Daily or almost daily
9. Have you or someone else been injured as a result of your drinking?
(0) No
(2) Yes, but not in the last year
(4) Yes, during the last year
10. Has a relative, friend doctor, or another health professional expressed concern about your drinking or suggested you cut down?
(0) No
(2) Yes, but not in the last year
(4) Yes, during the last year
Add up the points associated with your answers above. A total score of eight or more indicates harmful drinking behavior. See your doctor or book an appointment with a counsellor.
Brad Timmons (name changed to protect privacy) is a third-year student at Western University and has done a year of study here at the college as well. When he graduated high school, he'd already been drinking for a number of years. "My buddies and I drank for the hell of it, really. Besides drinking, there's not a lot to do at home." It's common knowledge that in the absence of meaningful activities, many teenagers will engage in self-destructive behaviour. Further proof of this can be found in isolated Northern communities where, for lack of anything else to do, some children huff gas out of plastic bags.
In 2009, the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment published an article titled "College students rarely seek help despite serious substance abuse problems." It examined why only a tiny number of students independently seek help, reasons for their hesitation and strategies to combat the problem. According to their research, almost a quarter of "18- to 25-year-olds meet the criteria for an alcohol or illicit drug use disorder." By way of comparison, that percentage falls to 8 per cent outside of that age bracket. In the words of Timmons, "First year was definitely a lot more drinking. Having the new independence, meeting new people and not having to stumble home to Mom made for more frequent/heavier drinking opportunities."
The conditions that lead to addiction are extremely varied and case specific, but an individual's mental attitude towards alcohol is often the determining factor. The classification of alcoholism itself has changed dramatically over the last century. Bill Margrett, a counsellor at Fanshawe's Counselling and Accesibility office, has taken a keen interest in the behaviour of students as they pass through post-secondary institutions. He put together a timeline titled "Our Changing View of Addiction" that lists the progression of how experts have defined the condition. His timeline ends with our modern view, which labels addiction as a "bio-psycho-social phenomenon." In English, that means it's a multi-factorial condition; several factors contribute to the creation of alcohol dependence.
By definition, the three elements of the phenomenon are a person's biology, psychology and social life. Biologically, alcohol causes a physical dependence, while psychologically it can cause dependence by making you associate all the positive experiences that happened while intoxicated with the alcohol instead of the event. The other contributing factor is the environment you drink in. It's easy to begin associating social gatherings with drinking alcohol, since it's virtually always present at social functions. All three of these factors address the primary addictive property of alcohol which is our cultural pursuit of "no pain." Margrett listed this as the highest value in our society, and alcohol enables us to minimize any physical, mental or emotional pain we may be experiencing.
While there are many tests for alcohol dependency, the vast majority focus on the external side of alcohol addiction. They measure how many drinks you consume, how often, what time of day and so on. The reality is that a 105 lb person would only need a few drinks to become as intoxicated as a 250 lb person who's a few pitchers in. To truly determine the role alcohol plays in your life, there are some self-searching questions you can ask yourself:
- Does it take more alcohol for you to feel the same effect than it used to? Tolerance to alcohol increases with frequent consumption.
- Do you have difficulty not drinking? Irritability, lack of sleep and cold sweating are all side effects of withdrawal.
- Do you find yourself drinking more than you meant to? If the six-pack per night isn't enough anymore, it's a good indicator that you're experiencing the first warning sign: tolerance.
- Does it take more alcohol for you to feel the same effect than it used to? Tolerance to alcohol increases with frequent consumption.
- Do you have difficulty not drinking? Irritability, lack of sleep and cold sweating are all side effects of withdrawal.
- Do you find yourself drinking more than you meant to? If the six-pack per night isn't enough anymore, it's a good indicator that you're experiencing the first warning sign: tolerance.
Other more obvious indicators are being unable to lower your level of consumption and an increase in the amount of time spent not only drinking, but also finding alcohol and recovering from hangovers. This will be accompanied by an equal decrease in the amount of time you spend doing other things you used to consider important, such as spending time with family or your hobbies.
The idea of cutting back may seem like simply having less fun. The amount of fun you're having has nothing to do with how drunk you are and has everything to do with who you're with and what you're doing. It may feel like you have an obligation to your friends and peer pressure can take many forms. Western student Brad Timmons had to deal with pressure from friends and discovered that sometimes there's no nice way to say no. "Rarely would I drink on a weeknight, but having friends and housemates nag me was irritating. You have to set your priorities straight, regardless of the pressure, and just tell them off, essentially." It might feel like being a bad sport or a party pooper, but the habits you form at this stage in life will carry over into your later years.
If you feel like you're being dragged to bars and parties, it might be time to step up and do something that you want to do, even if that something is staying home with a textbook. On the other hand, if you're worried about how often you are the one dragging friends to bars, the Counselling and Accessibility Services office at Fanshawe's London campus, in room F2010, offers free and confidential services to all students. Whether you want to discuss your concerns or make a plan to cut back, they have professionals who want to see you achieve your goals.
Drinking by the numbers:
86 per cent of college students in a study reported having had at least one alcoholic drink in their lifetime
66 per cent drank alcohol at least once in the last month
39 to 44 per cent had gone binge drinking in the last two weeks
33 per cent met the criteria for alcohol abuse
32.5 per cent of health centres at universities routinely screen for alcohol problems
17 per cent of colleges use standardized screening
(Data taken from National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test
1. How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?
(0) Never (Skip to Questions 9-10)
(1) Monthly or less
(2) Two to four times a month
(3) Two to three times a week
(4) Four or more times a week
2. How many drinks containing alcohol do you have on a typical day when you are drinking?
(0) One or two
(1) Three or four
(2) Five or six
(3) Seven to nine
(4) 10 or more
3. How often do you have six or more drinks on one occasion?
(0) Never
(1) Less than monthly
(2) Monthly
(3) Weekly
(4) Daily or almost daily
4. How often during the last year have you found that you were not able to stop drinking once you had started?
(0) Never
(1) Less than monthly
(2) Monthly
(3) Weekly
(4) Daily or almost daily
5. How often during the last year have you failed to do what was normally expected from you because of drinking?
(0) Never
(1) Less than monthly
(2) Monthly
(3) Weekly
(4) Daily or almost daily
6. How often during the last year have you been unable to remember what happened the night before because you had been drinking?
(0) Never
(1) Less than monthly
(2) Monthly
(3) Weekly
(4) Daily or almost daily
7. How often during the last year have you needed an alcoholic drink first thing in the morning to get yourself going after a night of heavy drinking?
(0) Never
(1) Less than monthly
(2) Monthly
(3) Weekly
(4) Daily or almost daily
8. How often during the last year have you had a feeling of guilt or remorse after drinking?
(0) Never
(1) Less than monthly
(2) Monthly
(3) Weekly
(4) Daily or almost daily
9. Have you or someone else been injured as a result of your drinking?
(0) No
(2) Yes, but not in the last year
(4) Yes, during the last year
10. Has a relative, friend doctor, or another health professional expressed concern about your drinking or suggested you cut down?
(0) No
(2) Yes, but not in the last year
(4) Yes, during the last year
Add up the points associated with your answers above. A total score of eight or more indicates harmful drinking behavior. See your doctor or book an appointment with a counsellor.
