Although alcohol is useful in the creation of energy via fermentation for fungi and yeast, it is not necessary for humans. This drug of abuse is classified as a biphasic drug, indicating that it results in both stimulatory and depressant effects upon consumption. Beginning with the initial stimulant phase, alcohol binds to GABA receptors in the cell and inhibits neuronal signaling and also inhibits glutamate so that there is a buildup of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens—the reward center. This results in overt happiness and increased sociability, which is soon overpowered by the depressive effect of occupying more GABA receptors and feeling lethargic and fatigued. The depressive phase is denoted by high blood alcohol levels, and in some cases, binge drinking.
The consumption of four or more drinks in one situation at least once every two weeks is deemed as binge drinking, which a staggering 44% of college students engage in. It is a shared mentality on college campuses that drinking copious amounts of alcohol ever so often puts the students at less risk than a little bit at a time, but the reality is that the former puts a heavier toll on their bodies. As more alcohol is consumed, blood alcohol levels rise and can result in organ failure, for the liver and the brain, and addiction. In terms of the brain, alcohol can interfere with the signaling pathways of neurons and lead to different moods and behaviors. More specifically, teenagers that engage in heavy drinking have suffered from shortcomings in their learning and memory, as alcohol targets and disrupts the regions of the brain that develop maturation. Damage to the hippocampus results in teens not being able to learn or remember as much information as desired. Alongside memory loss, alcohol can also result in a loss of spatial memory which helps recall shapes and directions, putting the areas of the brain involved with vision at a disadvantage since they are disabled from serving their function. When certain regions of the brain can no longer function as needed, the rest of the brain has to try and compensate for such failure, which in turns puts a lot of strain on the entirety of the brain.
Not only this, but alcohol can significantly decrease the amount of gray matter within the brain. Since binge drinking causes such heavy brain damage and disturbs normal cell function and signaling, a side effect of this is reduced neurogenesis. When the brain is losing so much gray matter because of this drug in the cerebral cortex and is not able to grow and develop cells, higher-order thinking ceases to function properly. Thinking logically, making appropriate decisions based on situations, and controlling impulsive behavior are all skills that become impaired with heavy alcohol consumption and gray matter shrinkage. Unlike the effects on organs, memory and spatial memory, it is possible to bounce back from gray matter depletion by quitting drinking. Without this drug of abuse to interrupt their regular functioning, the bodies of cells making up the gray matter return to communicating with one another and resorting the brain to perform adequately.
Included in the regions of the brain that suffer from alcohol abuse is the prefrontal cortex. This section of the brain functions in helping to stop impulsive behaviors and takes time to develop. Therefore, in teenagers the prefrontal cortex is not fully in control of hasty decisions. This comes into play in instances of binge drinking as teenagers do not have their mind to fully aid them in inhibiting such a risky decision. Due to their age and premature prefrontal cortex, they are placed at higher risk for binge drinking at an earlier age. Although the incomplete development of the prefrontal cortex creates increased risk for alcohol abuse, a part that plays heavily into this conundrum is social pressure. Teenage minds may make hasty decisions in drinking alcohol, but they might also be deciding to do so because their peers have forced them into thinking doing so is “cool.” Saying no to a group of friends becomes harder and harder as we age, in my personal experience, and applies heavily to the college scene where there is an opportunity to go out and drink every night. Friends drag each other out for one or two drinks, and end up drinking past their limit and putting themselves at great risk for alcohol poisoning. With movies and social media glorifying partying and heavy drinking, it is harder than ever to fight the forces moving us toward binge drinking.
Alongside the slowly maturing prefrontal cortex and societal pressure, the nonchalant commercialization of alcohol is another factor that results in the product becoming such a prevalent item in our everyday lives. Growing up in Iran, I was never exposed to alcohol, not even a glass of wine at dinner. But when I came to the United States as a young child, every other commercial on TV was about Budweiser or Heineken. My first trip to Los Angeles over glorified brandy and vodka as every other billboard in the city mentioned these drinks or another variation, which is a very different scene in comparison to North Carolina. The overexposure of alcoholic drinks seeps into our minds and starts to do so at a very early age so as we grow to be teenagers and young adults, when the possibility to engage in drinking presents itself, most people will accept regardless of their age. When we think of and treat alcohol with such a relaxed mindset, we start to become relaxed about the use of it, and this ideal is epitomized on college campuses. The legal age of drinking is completely irrelevant in college because fraternities allow any and all to their parties and heavily distribute alcohol to the party attendants. They serve heavy liquor in cups so that students are not fully aware of the amount of alcohol they are drinking, and end up severely hurting themselves. Although it is sad to say, almost all of my friends participate in binge drinking every week starting from “thirsty Thursday” and lasting all through the weekend. More often than not I await a call that a friend ended up in the hospital for alcohol poisoning, with too many of those instances becoming reality. Alcohol is easily attainable in college and allows for the beginning of an addiction solely driven by societal and commercial pressures.
Another aspect of binge drinking on college campuses to consider would be the phrase “it’s not alcoholism until you’ve graduated.” Students think that it is perfectly normal and healthy to binge drink every weekend of the semester, and that the consequences will not catch up with them until they have graduated college and become fully independent adults. For this reason alone, I believe that it will take years to decrease the rate of binge drinking in college students, and that it will be a feat that will include the whole nation, not just college campuses. We have to instill in the students a sense of the true danger of engaging in such risky behavior, but I do not believe that knowledge will be enough. As educated college students that are constantly learning about new phenomena, the idea that alcohol is addictive and detrimental to our brains and bodies has been greatly promoted since early childhood, yet the rate of binge drinking for high school sophomores is 18% and seniors 24%. Being aware of the effects of alcohol hasn’t stopped teens from consuming it, which reiterates my point on how societal pressures are the driving force behind this issue. Taking alcohol ads from billboards, magazines, and television itself will be most advantageous, as well as allowing our peers to say no to alcohol and not forcing them to engage in binge drinking.