Alcohol Use in College Students: Cause or Effect of Depression? - Essay Sample

Introduction

Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate the cause and effect of alcohol on college students (Dennhardt & Murphy,2011). Most people argue that alcohol leads to depression, while others note that depressed students consume more alcohol. Various studies have shown numerous effects that alcohol has on college students who are depressed (Lamis et al., 2010). There are many cases of heavy alcohol consumption of alcohol among college students (Dvorak et al., 2013). Most people do not know that students might be alcoholic because they are already depressed. Therefore, students face many challenges without anyone coming to their rescue (Dvorak et al., 2013). Many people do not seek help to address the depression problem, probably because they do not know that they have an issue (Dennhardt & Murphy,2011). The effects which the students are likely to face are of a different category, and they range from health problems to financial constraints. Alcohol consumption without control is not good for the body and leads to addiction (Lamis et al., 2010). People get into levels where they cannot do without alcohol. When it becomes impossible to control, the students most likely spend every coin on the drinks (Dvorak et al., 2013). The habits create a vicious circle. The students become more depressed because he cannot meet the daily needs. It also leads to missing classes and sometimes even examinations. When the student is not able to complete the projects assigned, it leads to disqualification or taking longer in college (Lamis et al., 2010). The problems which the student face are not psychological only. There are also social issues. When one is alcoholic, most likely, he becomes withdrawn (Dennhardt & Murphy,2011). Most of the time, one does not like associating with people and prefers to spend most of the time taking alcohol. There are no chances of being helped because the students do not meet with people. Such addicts cannot even participate in assignments that are meant to be done in groups. The depressed students are likely to associate themselves with bad influences, those who are also drinking too much, or criminal gangs (Lamis et al., 2010). There is also the likelihood of developing health problems due to taking alcohol uncontrollably. Some of the health complications can be liver cirrhosis and others (Dvorak et al., 2013).

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References

Dennhardt, A. A., & Murphy, J. G. (2011). Associations between depression, distress tolerance, delay discounting, and alcohol-related problems in European American and African American college students. Psychology of addictive behaviors, 25(4), 595.

Dvorak, R. D., Lamis, D. A., & Malone, P. S. (2013). Alcohol use, depressive symptoms, and impulsivity as risk factors for suicide proneness among college students. Journal of affective disorders, 149(1-3), 326-334.

Lamis, D. A., Malone, P. S., Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J., & Ellis, T. E. (2010). Body investment, depression, and alcohol use as risk factors for suicide proneness in college students.