Are Binge Drinking Students Actually Happier

CNN recently posted a Washington Post story with findings by the American Sociological Asscociation that binge drinking students are happier.

After surveying 1600 students,

. . . that defined binge drinking as consuming more than four drinks per occasion for women and five for men at least once over the course of two weeks.

Despite earlier findings that binge drinking in this age group is linked to academic stresses, personal risks, or alcoholism, the study has now found that it's the happier kids that are drawn to heavy drinking.

Why? According to study co-author Carolyn Hsu, associate professor of sociology at Colgate University, binge drinking in college is linked to status and a more satisfying social life.                

Source of quote: Study: Binge-drinking students happier.  

For many reasons, the study is flawed or lacks total social validity. The study is shallow and shortsighted.

What young college person is going to freely admit to an interviewer that often times that inside that happy facade there are many insecurities he or she are experiencing at that point in their lives that a drunken binge allows them to mask.

Now this is not to suggest that the student respondents were not happy when interviewed----but perhaps there should be a follow-up of those same respondents 4 or 5 years from the date of study.

For many of those youthful happy respondents as older individuals they will still be seeking out the initial pleasurable experience of mild intoxication and social camaraderie.

Often times many of those former happy go lucky college kids are not as happy as they are very addicted to the alcohol that they initially enjoyed consuming during a youthful social drinking binge. Their former youthful binges have become a daily need.


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