Blog #3 - The College Experience

Hi there, and welcome back to Voices for Wellness!

As I approach the final few weeks of college, I’ve found myself reflecting on my experience over the past four years. In an effort to squeeze every last drop out of the “college experience,” it seems like everyone is scrambling to make the most of the time we have left before being launched into the next stage of life. Conversations like “of course I’m going out tonight, we’re only in college once,” or “might as well keep drinking while we still can,” have become increasingly common as graduation approaches.

College can feel like a strange subculture with its own rules, especially when it comes to drinking and drug use. Growing up, you’re usually taught that binge drinking and drugs are abnormal, something associated with people who “have a problem,” and that they lead to serious consequences. Framed as dangerous and outside the norm.

Then you get to college, and suddenly it’s everywhere. They aren’t just present but normalized. The fact that it’s happening in a “college setting” is often used as an excuse. Ideas like peer pressure being harmful seem to fade into the background, and heavy drinking or experimenting with drugs becomes part of what people consider the “typical college experience.” When someone overdoes it, it’s often laughed off or dismissed as just another “normal” Friday night.

But then you graduate, and the expectation is that you clean up immediately. Drinking gets reined in to the occasional glass of wine with dinner, and drugs revert to being taboo. In theory, this shift could almost make sense: college functions as a contained period where excess is normalized, a kind of sanctioned chaos that gets neatly left behind the moment you accept that diploma.

The problem is that addiction doesn't operate on an academic calendar. Habitual binge drinking doesn't just rewire behavior; it rewires the brain itself. Repeated heavy alcohol use alters neuropathways and disrupts dopamine regulation, the system responsible for how we experience reward and pleasure (Oscar-Berman, M., & Marinković, K., 2007). Over time, the brain begins to rely on alcohol to trigger those feelings, making sobriety feel flat or unrewarding by comparison. For students who spent four years drinking heavily and frequently, these changes can take hold long before graduation day arrives. So, when society flips the switch and expects the party to simply stop, many find that it isn't a matter of willpower; their brain chemistry has genuinely changed.

As I approach the end of my college experience, I've noticed that the social pressure to drink as much as possible before entering the "real world" has only intensified. It's as if there's an unspoken deadline, a last call for sanctioned excess before adulthood officially begins. Rather than winding down, the culture ramps up, reinforcing the culture of drinking within college settings.

While binge drinking may not be as normalized outside of college environments, a broader culture of alcohol consumption remains embedded in American society. Drinking is woven into social gatherings, celebrations, sporting events, holidays, and even professional networking. Alcohol is consistently marketed as a symbol of fun, freedom, success, and belonging, reinforcing the message that drinking is a normal and often expected part of social life.

Given this cultural backdrop, the stigma surrounding addiction is contradictory. Why are individuals blamed for developing substance use disorders when they are participating in behaviors that society not only normalizes but actively encourages? From a young age, Americans are exposed to messages suggesting that drinking is a key component of fitting in, having fun, and embracing an idealized version of the "American" lifestyle. Yet when alcohol use becomes problematic, responsibility is often placed solely on the individual, while the social, cultural, and commercial forces that promote alcohol consumption receive far less scrutiny.

My college experience has forced me to think more critically about these contradictions. I have seen how pervasive drinking culture can be and how easy it is to get swept up in it. In some ways, I have participated in it myself. I have also watched friends push the limits a little too often and wondered where the line between "normal college behavior" and something more serious really lies.

I do not believe that addiction can be explained solely by drinking culture. Addiction is complex, shaped by biology, psychology, environment, and individual circumstances. However, it is difficult to ignore the role that cultural attitudes toward alcohol play in creating conditions where problematic drinking can flourish. If we want to reduce addiction and support those who struggle with it, we must move beyond blaming individuals and begin examining the broader systems and social norms that encourage harmful behaviors in the first place.

I hope those norms eventually change. At the very least, I hope we become more honest about the contradictions that surround alcohol in American culture, and more compassionate toward the people who bear their consequences.

Samara - Advocate for AES :)

References:

1. Oscar-Berman, M., & Marinković, K. (2007). Alcohol: effects on neurobehavioral functions and the brain. Neuropsychology review, 17(3), 239–257. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-007-9038-6