Project 1
Kacie Stegall
(ENG1213-07) English Composition II
Professor Hammett
Essay 1 Argument Proposal
10 October 2024
Word Count 1206
Solutions for Binge Drinking
Have you ever drunk a few drinks a night and thought this was no problem? Millions of people also have thought the same way. There are ways society can solve this problem, which include setting limits for yourself, managing what triggers you to drink, changing environments and people that are around in said environment, finding support to help navigate your way of binge drinking, education at a young age of the effects of drinking could do to a person.
Binge Drinking has become a social epidemic which is a pattern of drinking that brings your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 g/dL or more. Binge drinking Alcohol is when a Woman has four or more drinks in two hours, for men when they consume more than five or more drinks in two hours is considered binging. Many people from the ages of twelve and older could binge drinking without even being aware that they are bingeing. Setting limits for yourself would be a way for a person to not binge drink. “According to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), about 61.4 million, or 21.7%, of people in the United States ages 12 and older reported binge drinking during the past month.3,4 Although binge drinking is a concern among all age groups, there are important trends in the following groups (“Understanding binge drinking”, 2023, pg.1).”
When a person is in a certain environment, they can be triggered to drink more than they would if they were not in said environment. Those environments could be parties as a teenager, after graduation and going to college is when there is a big environment for binge drinking or excessive drinking. “Specific events and contexts that promote heavy drinking are additional factors that contribute to high rates of binge drinking. Such events include New Year’s Eve, St. Patrick’s Day, and Halloween.47,48 Some high-risk drinking events tend to be more prevalent in young adulthood. For example, homecoming, athletic events, weddings, and graduations are all relatively common events for people in this age range and have been associated with heavy drinking.49,50 In addition, 21st birthdays,51 spring break,48 football tailgating,52 pregame partying,53–55 and drinking games56,57 have all been associated with excessive drinking among college students. For undergraduates, weekends and the beginning of a semester have been associated with higher levels of drinking.47,49(Krieger et al. The epidemiology of binge drinking among college-age individuals in the United States, 2018, Pg.1)”
Binge drinking has become a social norm and being around people who peer pressure others to drink, or their environment welcomes it then they are more prone to binge drinking. That is why we could come together as a society and make binge drinking less welcome, by having support for people who do not want to participate in drinking or binge drinking. “The social norms theory posits that social behavior stems from learning by means of operant conditioning and imitation, with individuals tending to behave according to the norm, that is, they generally adjust their behavior to be close to what the group they belong to considers “normal”. However, students often have misperceptions about the normative behaviors of risk and protection, which leads to a distorted adjustment of behavior (Faria et al. Protective strategies and motivations to control drinking among Brazilian college students: A qualitative study - BMC public health, 2023, Pg.1)”
There could be many solutions to binge drinking starting with noticing there is a problem with drinking more than one drink in a sitting. If that is an issue, then there is a separate way one could get help or start the process to receive professional help. One way a person could get help and get to not binge drink anymore would be to get a substance abuse evaluation. If the professional thinks that there is substance abuse, there are many steps to help one with stopping binge drinking.
One way a person could stop drinking would be medication and behavioral treatments that a professional depending on what type of treatment they see would be the best fit for the person. There are many different forms of behavioral treatments that include therapy and or counseling, rehabilitation for said person which could be in-patient or outpatient, and treatment plans for said individual. A treatment plan would be a start to finish plan that describes what type of treatment the person should receive, that could include all things, medication, counseling, and a rehabilitation center that includes classes to help people recover from binge drinking or alcohol abuse. “Three medications are currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help people stop or reduce their drinking and prevent a return to drinking: naltrexone (oral and long-acting injectable), acamprosate, and disulfiram. All these medications are nonaddictive, and they may be used alone or combined with behavioral treatments or mutual support groups. (Understanding alcohol use disorder, 2020, Pg.1)”
Another way for a person to stop binge drinking would be to get in mutual support groups that help a person when cutting alcohol out of their life. In support groups it is usually people who have been sober from many different addictions that tell their stories of how and why they decided the sober life was best for them. Hearing people openly talk about their journeys could help a person decide that being sober is their best option. “Mutual-support groups provide peer support for stopping or reducing drinking. Group meetings are available in most communities at low or no cost, and at convenient times and locations—including an increasing presence online. This means they can be especially helpful to individuals at risk for relapse to drinking. Combined with medications and behavioral treatment provided by health care professionals, mutual-support groups can offer a valuable added layer of support. (Understanding alcohol use disorder, 2020, Pg.1)”
A solution that society could solve the epidemic of binge drinking would be setting limits for people as binge drinking gets out of hand. Try to figure out what triggers a person to binge drink which could be a multitude of different things from relationships, environments, social activities, peers that a person surrounds themselves with, grief, or past trauma. Environments and peers play a crucial role in binge drinking and being aware of your environment and the problems of drinking could help solve the problem. If peers around are causing them to binge drink, then removing themselves from a relationship with that peer could stop this problem.
When a person sees there is a problem with their binge drinking and is ready to seek professional help there are different options for a person to start the journey to not drink anymore that include, a professional evaluation to help start a treatment plan to get the process started. Medication, mutual support groups and behavioral treatments are things a professional could advise to stop binge drinking.
Lastly, if society were to educate the public at an early age about what the effects binge drinking could have on their lives and on other people’s lives around them this could stop a whole new generation repeating the same cycle.
Work Cited
Faria, Marina Noto, et al. “Protective Strategies and Motivations to Control Drinking among Brazilian College Students: A Qualitative Study - BMC Public Health.” BioMed Central, BioMed Central, 1 Dec. 2023, bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-023-16854-7.
“How to Start Drinking Less.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 22 Dec. 2023, www.cdc.gov/drinklessbeyourbest/drinkingless.html.
Krieger, Heather, et al. “The Epidemiology of Binge Drinking among College-Age Individuals in the United States.” Alcohol Research : Current Reviews, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6104967/.
“Understanding Alcohol Use Disorder.” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/understanding-alcohol-use-disorder. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.
“Understanding Binge Drinking.” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/binge-drinking. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.