College Drinking: Potential Alcoholism or Just a Good Time?

Destinie Schroff, Staff Reporter

Destinie_Schroff@csumb.edu

April 17, 2008

“Enjoy it now, because after college it’s

called alcoholism,” reads one popular

and straightforward bumper sticker.

The alcoholism that college students are

developing while in school may seem like

good times, but the times go downhill

with diseases and disorders such as ascites,

dementia, and portal hypertension.

A CSU Monterey Bay (CSUMB) alumni

who wishes to remain anonymous due

to work concerns, admitted to drinking

“nearly every night” while in school. Now

that he has a day-to-day job, the CSUMB

graduate has limited his drinking to

weekends; “Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays,

and a Sunday morning beer or two to cure

the weekend’s hang over.”

Although the former student is somewhat

concerned with the health aspects of

continued drinking, he believes he is still

in control. “I’m still young and if I want

to stop later in life, I can quit whenever I

want,” he said.

While this student believes quitting

any time he wants will solve the drinking

problem, Physician Assistant – Certified

(P.A.-C) Victoria Pass of the Campus

Health Center (CHC) warns students against

excessive drinking because it directly affects

the health of the liver. Alcohol, “makes

[the liver] hard and eventually parts don’t

function anymore,” Pass said, citing the

hardening of the liver that can take place

with long-term abuse.

A current student who also wishes to

remain anonymous, stated that he drinks

“whenever possible.” The student is a

freshman and “is living it up with all the

new freedoms of no parents.” This current

student believes that “alcoholism isn’t a

real concern right now because everyone

does this in college and I don’t feel like my

physique could improve any more.”

Another concern that forms from

excessive drinking is swelling of the face

and the ever popular “beer belly.” The

classic “beer belly” is actually ascites, Pass

warned, which is excess fluid between the

abdomen and abdominal organs. Pass also

noted that long term abuse may lead to

“dementia similar to Alzheimer’s disease

where the drinker, even sober, is forgetful

and agitated.”

Delirium tremors can also occur, which

cause the alcoholic to hallucinate and run

a fever. Portal hypertension is caused by

cirrhosis, which is scarring of the liver

which blocks the flow of blood to the liver

and vessel pressure. “People vomit until

they bleed out. It can take literally minutes.

It is almost the same as cutting the jugular

vein,” said Pass.

On the bright side, the liver is one of

the only organs that is able to regenerate

itself if taken care of long enough. This is

only, however, if the alcohol abuser has not

passed the point of no return.

“Unlike withdrawals from heroin where

you may wish to die, you actually can

die from alcohol withdrawals,” warns

Pass. “Alcoholism is one of the worst

drug addictions in this country; it costs tax

payers as the treatment is long-term and not

very effective.”

For more information on

alcohol abuse and prevention

visit the Personal Growth and

Counseling Center on Campus

or their website pgcc.csumb.

edu/site/x10085.xml