Abstract:

Problem drinking has become a public health concern and is a pattern of drinking common among college students at campuses across the United States (Boyle, Bradley & Boekeloo, 2006). A style of problem drinking is binge drinking which is a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams or above. “This typically happens when men consume 5 or more drinks or when women consume 4 or more drinks in about 2 hours” (Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2008, p. 1). Family values and the impact such values and influences may have on the potential binge drinking of college students’ ages 18 to 24. The period during which teenagers enter adulthood is a critical developmental transition characterized by new social context, additional responsibilities and privileges and opportunities and incentives for important developmental work in self-definition. Literature suggests that ongoing problem behaviors during this important period, including binge drinking, may reflect difficulties with the transition to young adulthood (Schulenberg, Wadsworth, Malley, Bachman and Johnston, 1996). The study will assess family values and the significance they may play on college students’ binge drinking. “Harmful drinking during the college years has been linked to potential long-term ramifications, as it has been associated with alcohol-use disorder up to 10 years later” (McCarty, Ebel, garrison, DiGluseppe, Christakis and Rivara, 2004, p.714). Due to binge drinking, many college students partake in risky behaviors such as engaging in sexual activity that they would not ordinarily have engaged in (Ceperich, Cohen, & Bruce, 2001), therefore contributing to the many psychosocial barriers that may impact the students’ ability to learn.

Keywords:

Problem drinking, binge drinking, psychosocial barriers, risky behaviors, family values.