Hi. Today I would like to switch
from IT to a bit different topic.
We all have been students and
probably most of us have had a chance to experience the so called „students'
life". The article I would like to present applies to social aspects of
drinking culture among students. Some of you may already know the contents, as
this paper comes from JASSS.
The Big Impact of Small Groups on College Drinking
To help you with discussion I will
start with questions:
1. Have you been involved in
students' life during your "academic years"?
2. Have you ever experienced heavy
episodic or "binge" drinking mentioned in article?
3. What do you think in general
about drinking culture among students?
The article which you chose describes a very serious and sensitive social problem. Drinking alcohol is a problem with severe consequences. Article authors touch upon a drinking problem among students. The article is divided into five sections. The First section introduces a main research problem. In Section 2, authors provide an overview of the single-event model, describing the relevant social theories, the agent attributes, and the basic functional units of the simulation. In Section 3, they discuss the details and operation of the group formation unit. In Section 4, authors describe the experimental design of the study, and they present the results. They close in Section 5 with some observations pertaining to policy, interventions, and potential for survey and observational research, as well as some thoughts about the larger project of simulating many events with additional longer term considerations. College drinking in the United States is a problem with severe academic, health, and safety consequences. Around 25 percent of US college students cite alcohol as a reason for missing classes and falling behind or reduced performance in their coursework. Some 599,000 US students receive accidental injuries during alcohol use, with approximately 1825 US students dying from such events. Around 690,000 US students are assaulted by a student who had been drinking, and over 97,000 sexual assaults are alcohol-involved. These statistics, were reported by the US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA). In my opinion drinking alcohol is a big problem not only among students. Nevertheless students as a smart people and nation's future should drink smarter and more carefurlly than others.
ReplyDeleteYo are right, it's a very serious problem. I know some people who didn't finish the studies because of drinking. Therefore some of them had a lot of troubles with normal life. Maybe that is some kind of selection - the smarter group know how to resist alcohol?
Delete1. Have you been involved in students' life during your "academic years"?
ReplyDeleteOf course. I can only say that it was sometimes hard to survive certain activities :)
2. Have you ever experienced heavy episodic or "binge" drinking mentioned in article?
Heavy drinking is a common thing in Poland. Don't you think? I won't elaborate about it. Most of students are heavy drinkers, especially males. Moreover, drinking is not the biggest issue in so called student's life.
3. What do you think in general about drinking culture among students?
Most students drinking on daily basis, this is nothing new to be honest. Nowadays, it's hard to avoid drinking on student parties or after lectures. Nothing will change this in the nearest future.
I must agree. It could be taken as a part of our culture (at least most of my foreign colleagues from academic years think so). What issue is in your opinion a bigger one?
DeleteBinge drinking is a rapidly growing health concern across campuses. This comes after the death of two Canadian students in 2004 that involved the use of alcohol on the campus. Risky drinking behaviour is commonly referred to as binge drinking. It is difficult to precisely define binge drinking due to the lack of consistent national criteria, but most experts agree it is the consumption of 5 or more standard drinks for men within a 2-hour period and 4 or more standard drinks for women. The 2004 Canadian Campus Survey, which focused on risky behaviours and health concerns of Canadian university students, found that 86% of undergraduate students had consumed alcohol within the past year, with 77% having used alcohol within the past month. It reflect the reality that university students are engaging in binge drinking and associated risky behaviours. Emerging studies are also showing an upward trend in binge drinking among female students as they experience an expanded gender role to the “traditional femininity expectations dictated by society that generally call for abstinence or lower levels of alcohol use”.
ReplyDeleteSource: University of Saskatchewan Student Binge Drinking Prevention Campaign
Interesting piece of statistics Marcin, thank you for that. It seems that the problem becomes more serious over time.
DeleteAs a devoted abstainer, I am not the right target for your questions, so I guess I won't be able to come up with meaningful answers.
ReplyDelete1. Have you been involved in students' life during your "academic years"?
No.
2. Have you ever experienced heavy episodic or "binge" drinking mentioned in article?
No.
3. What do you think in general about drinking culture among students?
The same I think about drinking culture (is this a right word) in general society. It's good when you keep it under control, but usually the opposite is true.
The alcohol could be your serious enemy if you think that social gathering means drinking. That's basically the mechanism of addiction.
I think that you have chosen the healthiest option ;) there is nothing to add to your third answer - I have very similar opinion (especially with that part about confusing drinking activities and being social)
Delete1. Have you been involved in students' life during your "academic years"?
ReplyDeleteI was involved in students' life during the beginning of my studies, but it wasn't necessarily connected with an alcohol. Student's life also means taking part and organising sport and cultural events, or even excursions. After a third year of my studies I started to work, so I had not so much time for such activities.
2. Have you ever experienced heavy episodic or "binge" drinking mentioned in article?
No. I think it mostly concerns male students. Usually women drink less alcohol than men (but there are exceptions of course) and it also was visible during my studies.
3. What do you think in general about drinking culture among students?
It is hard to deny that students drink a lot. I have mixed feelings about it. From one point of view, drinking alcohol is not a good thing neither for health nor for social consequences. It can lead to addiction and general life problems. But from the other side no one from my collegues became an alcoholic or harm themselves by drinking. I could observe a tendency, that when people got older they drank much less alcohol.
Btw. if you are interested in simulations about drinking issues I recommend you another article from jass: http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/19/1/10.html
Thank you for the link. In my case students' life was strongly connected to parties with drinking (what is interesting, I haven't noticed big difference between men and women in attitude). Maybe I've had a wrong company during those few years ;)
Delete1. Have you been involved in students' life during your "academic years"?
ReplyDeleteNo.
2. Have you ever experienced heavy episodic or "binge" drinking mentioned in article?
I don't have ever experienced heavy episodic for drinking mentioned in article
No.
3. What do you think in general about drinking culture among students?
What can I say... good for you ;)
Delete1. Have you been involved in students' life during your "academic years"?
ReplyDeleteNo I was not involved in students life. That's because I my school was in Saturday and Sunday and rest of week I was in work, so I hadn't got any time for this.
2. Have you ever experienced heavy episodic or "binge" drinking mentioned in article? No never, when I am drinking I always want to be able to walk on my own feet and not to crawl. Seriously I never understand this kind of people that they drink more than they can handle.
3. What do you think in general about drinking culture among students?
I think they drink on daily basis. I think usually it's because they are away from their parents and they feel very adult so they want to make up their 18 years of childhood with drinking and partying.
I've heard an opinion that sometimes it is good to perform a "reset" with use of alcohol. It sounds incredibly stupid but apparently it can be used as an excuse for being too drunk to walk sometimes. Maybe it is associated with "feel of freedom", mentioned in your third answer?
Delete
ReplyDeleteWell, to be honest I got drunk couple of times during my academic years :) Nobody got hurt though. I never had problems with refusing to drink when I didn't want to and I'm ok with somebody being an abstainer. I had couple of proper "resets" during my life.
I think that drinking is getting more common and more often. And it's not only in academic environment, I know some people around 30 that drink on a daily basis and do not consider it a problem.
Maybe that people around 30 are still students? ;) In my opinion refusing to drink or just avoiding the "resets" becomes easier with time.
DeleteJust as Paul I don't drink any alcohol at all. Responding to questions, I can say that studying part-time does not lead to well known a rich "student's life" in most cases. What I think about drinking culture among students? It's hard to admit but I think that in many cases such a culture just doesn't exist.
ReplyDeleteDo you mean that they behave rude or the phenomenon just doesn't exist? Studying part-time is in my opinion separated from most of studens' activities other than those associated with education. I think that part-time studying is reserved for more responsible ones.
DeleteWhen you are student, you're having students life, to matter you want it or not. It's up to you, how you spend that time. “Binge” drinking could cause serious health problem. In the article only few consequences were mentioned. Ironically, drinking with group could be way to hide problem from that group. Some students are addicted from alcohol and they are creating opportunity to drink with others. Drinking reduction in that society could be serious problem in campus environment.
ReplyDeleteThe article in more about social side of the phenomenon, maybe that's why the didn't discuss health problems. "Hiding" in groups and throwing the parties to make an occasion to drink without arousing suspicions is something I've never thought about before
Delete1. Have you been involved in students' life during your "academic years"?
ReplyDeleteYes, It happened that I've been involved ;-) It was fun. Nevertheless, I have never felt a pressure to do anything that I didn't want.
2. Have you ever experienced heavy episodic or "binge" drinking mentioned in article?
Yes, I experienced that but It was even before my academic years. The most hardcore parties that I experiences was during last year of high school.
3. What do you think in general about drinking culture among students?
I think it is natural. Students want to relieve after all that control and overprotection during high school years ;-)
It seems that we have similar experiences in this area. It's interesting how it becomes less exiting (or even funny) after a few years
DeleteHello thanks for this extraordinary research material. As an alternative to the usual IT stuff it is nice to see things like that being analysed. :)
ReplyDeleteLet me answer your questions:
1. To some extent yes however not too often. I tolerate alcohol however I prefer not to drink since its not a pleasurable experience (at least for me). I do agree however that its a popular means of integrating because of its effects. :)
2. No, not really.
3. I assume that on other majors the "integration" part is stronger than in IT. IT students tend to integrate more with their electronic hardware and/or software. ;)
Michal, I'm glad that you enjoyed the topic. That was my intention to change from IT area at least for while.
DeleteIntegrating via electronic devices isn't reserved only for IT students. In that case I think I would prefer binge drinking rather than "digital" way of integration
Theoretically speaking people can try anything including alcohol. However you should know your measure. That means drinking above your measure is as straight road to addiction. Alcohol addiction is one of the worst kind, leads to abuse and violence.
ReplyDeleteEven if it doesn't lead to abuse and violence it's still terrible. You wrote a very wise sentence: everyone should know it's own measure
Delete1. Have you been involved in students' life during your "academic years"?
ReplyDeleteI've been living in students dorm for the first 3 years of my studies. So I guess you can say that I was involved in "student's life" during that time. Although I wasn't a particularly active participant in the "student" related initiatives.
2. Have you ever experienced heavy episodic or "binge" drinking mentioned in article?
No. I used to drink more often while leaving in the dorm. But I never experienced any problematic situations myself. Sadly, I remember one tragic accident caused by alcohol, which happened in my dorm on my 1st year of studies.
3. What do you think in general about drinking culture among students?
It's hard for me to answer this question. My regular "academic years" are over, I finished my masters degree 5 years ago. I'm pretty sure that students at parties/in dorms are still drinking a lot of alcohol, but that's all I can say.
You are right according to what I know about current students on lower degrees. Nothing changed in way of drinking alcohol by students. Not experiencing problematic situations is very important in my opinion. If it happend, it means that drinking could be already a serious problem.
DeleteTo help you with discussion I will start with questions:
ReplyDelete1. Have you been involved in students' life during your "academic years"?
No, I havn’t. I was studying in extension system that I did not have time to „students life”.
2. Have you ever experienced heavy episodic or "binge" drinking mentioned in article?
I don like alkohol that I did not have any epizodic.
3. What do you think in general about drinking culture among students?
I do not have opinion on that topic becouse I did not have any connections with students life.
I'm sorry for the topic then. I hope that the article was interesting at least.
DeleteI was present "old" PJWSTK in integration trip. I have a contact with students from different academies, but to be honest I had not a lot of time for "students' life" because I have worked for all this time. But the way, I have couple of friends and I do not want to talk about my experience with alcohol :). Regarding to last question I believe there are different personalities, with different behaviours, so each party and each participants are different.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we've seen each other during one of integration trips? People differ, you are right. On the other hand, however, parties with "binge drinking" all look similar so the participants have probably the same ideas how to spend such a time
DeleteTo help you with discussion I will start with questions:
ReplyDelete1. Have you been involved in students' life during your "academic years"?
2. Have you ever experienced heavy episodic or "binge" drinking mentioned in article?
3. What do you think in general about drinking culture among students?
I think most of us will answer first question "yes". It could be an episode or often cases. There is a very strong drinking culture among students. Most of them understands that
this are the last years of some kind of lose behaviour
I can say that I was average Involved in "students life." I liked spending time with friends, but I never drank a lot of alcohol - it just does not suit me.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the third question:
ReplyDelete"Drinking culture" among students are getting closer to the culture of drinking society - unfortunately.
A dozen years ago it was easier to get to know if people who drink alcohol are students if are not students. Now it is difficult