Alcohol On Campus: Pros, Cons, And Legality

Alcohol consumption on college campuses has been a topic of debate for many years. While some argue that allowing alcohol on campus can build a stronger campus community and provide a source of relaxation for students, others point out the potential health and safety risks associated with excessive drinking, especially among underage students. The legal drinking age and the effectiveness of campus alcohol policies (CAPs) further complicate the discussion, with some suggesting that lowering the drinking age could help address issues related to binge drinking and alcohol abuse among college students.

Pros: Colleges can make a profit from alcohol sales

Colleges and universities are often thought of as businesses, and like any business, they need to turn a profit. One way to do this is to allow the sale of alcohol on campus. This can be done in a controlled environment, such as campus bars and sporting events, where vendors can sell alcohol safely to students. This money can then be funnelled back into the college, supporting struggling department programmes, funding financial aid for students, or paying for late-night shuttles.

In addition to the financial benefits, allowing alcohol on campus can foster a stronger sense of community. Students can socialise and unwind with their peers in a campus pub after a stressful exam, for example. This can be particularly beneficial for students who are away from home for the first time and may be struggling with the transition.

Furthermore, colleges can implement policies and interventions to mitigate the potential negative consequences of alcohol consumption. These can include substance-free housing options, which have been associated with lower levels of binge drinking and alcohol-related problems. Colleges can also provide educational programmes aimed at changing students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours related to alcohol, encouraging responsible drinking and harm reduction.

By legalising alcohol on campus, colleges can also take control of the drinking culture and work towards creating a safer environment. Currently, with alcohol banned on many campuses, students often resort to drinking secretly in unsafe or uncontrolled environments, leading to increased risks of alcohol overdose and other harmful consequences. By bringing drinking out into the open, colleges can better monitor and manage alcohol consumption, ensuring students' health and safety.

While there are valid concerns about the potential negative impacts of alcohol on students' health, wellbeing, and academic performance, a blanket ban on alcohol may not be the most effective solution. Instead, colleges can treat alcohol as they would any other product or service, regulating and managing its sale and consumption while also benefiting from the financial gains that come with it.

Cons: Alcohol can negatively impact students' physical, emotional, and mental health

Alcohol can have a detrimental impact on students' physical, emotional, and mental health in several ways. Firstly, excessive alcohol consumption can lead to serious health issues, including liver damage and other organ damage. Binge drinking, which is prevalent among college students, can result in alcohol overdose and even death. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), approximately 1,519 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries annually.

Secondly, drinking can negatively affect students' mental and emotional well-being. Alcohol is a depressant and can contribute to or exacerbate mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. It can impair judgment, increase impulsivity, and lead to risky behaviour, including drunk driving, which can have severe consequences. Additionally, alcohol can disrupt sleep patterns and contribute to poor academic performance, further impacting students' emotional and mental health.

The college environment can also play a role in exacerbating the negative impacts of alcohol on students' health. The pressure to fit in and the perception that drinking is an integral part of the college experience can lead to excessive consumption. First-year students, in particular, may be more susceptible as they navigate their newfound freedom away from parental supervision. Furthermore, the availability of alcohol on campus can encourage drinking as a coping mechanism for stress and academic pressures, reinforcing unhealthy habits.

While some argue that allowing alcohol on campus can foster a stronger campus community and provide a relaxing outlet for students, the potential harm to students' health cannot be overlooked. Banning alcohol on campus can be an effective strategy to reduce binge drinking and alcohol-related problems. Substance-free housing options, for instance, have been associated with lower levels of binge drinking and fewer alcohol-related consequences.

In conclusion, the negative consequences of alcohol on students' physical, emotional, and mental health are significant. The availability and normalization of alcohol in the college environment can lead to excessive consumption, with serious health and safety implications. Implementing policies that reduce the accessibility of alcohol on campus and providing alternative stress-management strategies can help mitigate these detrimental effects and promote a healthier student community.

Pros: Allowing alcohol on campus can build a stronger campus community

Allowing alcohol on campus can build a stronger campus community. Colleges can make a profit from allowing vendors to sell alcohol to students in campus bars and at sporting events. This money can then be used to support struggling departments, fund financial aid for students, or pay for late-night shuttles.

Students can unwind with a drink after an exam with their peers in a campus pub, for example. College can be an intense experience, and a little relaxation can go a long way. Indeed, medical practitioners from the prohibition era acknowledged the medicinal and therapeutic value of alcohol in moderation.

Furthermore, drinking on campus can help students learn to drink responsibly. Lowering the drinking age to 18, for example, would nurture the safe practice of drinking alcohol and allow students to make mature adult choices. This is especially important as drinking has become an integral part of the higher education experience, with 49.6% of full-time college students aged 18 to 25 drinking alcohol in the past month, according to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).

Additionally, colleges can implement environmental-level strategies to target the campus community and student body as a whole, aiming to change the campus environment where student drinking occurs. This can include reducing the availability of alcohol, as research shows that this reduces consumption and harmful consequences.

However, it is important to consider that drinking on college campuses has become a significant problem, with students drinking more than their parents. Banning alcohol on campus can be an effective policy, with students at these colleges 30% less likely to binge drink and more likely to abstain from alcohol.

Cons: Banning alcohol on campus reduces binge drinking

Banning alcohol on campus may not be the most effective way to reduce binge drinking among students. Critics argue that banning alcohol on campus may drive drinking further underground, and students may find other ways to access alcohol.

However, there are studies that show banning alcohol on campus can be effective in reducing binge drinking. Students attending colleges that ban alcohol on campus have been found to be 30% less likely to binge drink and more likely to abstain from alcohol than students attending colleges that allow alcohol consumption. Offering substance-free housing is another effective policy, as students living in substance-free housing are less likely to binge drink and experience fewer alcohol-related problems.

Additionally, certain cultural climates that promote a normative perception of disapproval toward excessive drinking can protect students against binge drinking. For example, parental disapproval of alcohol use or religious beliefs that ban drinking among members can exert a protective influence on college student binge drinking.

Furthermore, gender is a factor, as females tend to drink less than males and use more protective behavioral strategies, such as alternating between drinking alcohol and water. Implementing policies that target these protective factors and encourage responsible drinking practices may be more effective in reducing binge drinking than simply banning alcohol on campus.

While banning alcohol on campus may have some impact on reducing binge drinking, it is important to consider the potential for driving drinking underground and the effectiveness of other policies that target risk factors and promote protective factors associated with binge drinking among college students.

Pros: Lowering the drinking age would nurture the safe practice of drinking alcohol

In the United States, the minimum legal drinking age is 21 years. While this law has been successful in reducing underage drinking, motor vehicle crashes, and related fatalities, it has also driven drinking among young adults underground, away from bars and into private parties, which are less safe.

Lowering the drinking age would nurture the safe practice of drinking alcohol by allowing young adults to drink in controlled environments such as restaurants, taverns, pubs, and official school and university functions. In these settings, responsible drinking could be taught through role modeling and educational programs, with mature and sensible drinking behavior expected. This approach is based on research concerning college-age youth and the history of drinking in the United States and other cultures.

In countries where the minimum legal drinking age is lower, such as Western European countries, young adults tend to drink more responsibly. For example, groups such as Italians, Greeks, Chinese, and Jews, who have few drinking-related problems, tend to share some common characteristics. Alcohol is neither seen as a poison nor a magic potion, there is little or no social pressure to drink, irresponsible behavior is never tolerated, young people learn how to handle alcohol responsibly from their parents and other adults at home, and there is a societal consensus on what constitutes responsible drinking.

By lowering the drinking age and providing alcohol in controlled environments on campus, colleges can make a profit from vendors while also promoting safe drinking practices. This approach can build a stronger campus community, allowing students to unwind together in a supervised setting. Additionally, colleges can offer substance-free housing as a CAP (Campus Alcohol Policy) to reduce binge drinking and alcohol-related problems.

While excessive alcohol consumption poses significant health and safety hazards on college campuses, lowering the drinking age and implementing effective CAPs can help nurture safe drinking practices among young adults.

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