College Student + Binge Drinking = Memory Loss

(www.campusstuffuneed.com)

What happened last night?  This is a common question college students have after waking up from a night of binge drinking.  Can this memory loss continue long after the night of drinking occurs?  A recent study was conducted in Spain, according to USA Today, tested students who were binge drinkers and non drinking college students to see if they were able to remember images and words.  Those who drank scored roughly the same on the images as the non drinkers, but significantly lower on the word test.  What do these findings mean for students? 

The research did not necessarily prove that binge drinking results in memory loss, but it did determine that the two are linked.  Further studies will be conducted to examine this link and resolve the questions provoked by the study.  This still raises a few anxieties among college students who like to drink, but do not want compromise their ability to study.  I am one of the students who want to succeed in college and get A’s in every class I take.  I want to do my best and I don’t want my fun weekends of drinking to get in the way. 

The article from USA Today also discussed the fact that the brain is still maturing during young adulthood and this is why the drinking affects memory loss so greatly.  College students are the most vulnerable to memory loss if they continue to binge drink due to the effect that alcohol has on the brain, and alcohol's ability to do damage when the brain is not fully developed. 

These findings make me think more about how binge drinking can affect my future.  If it truly does create long term memory loss, then I may not do as well in my classes or remember important information needed to pass crucial exams.  These possibilities are not worth the risk, and so cutting back on alcohol consumption is definitely looking more appealing.