Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2019

Abstract

Stress levels in the life of a college student can be extreme. Sometimes the only way that the student knows how to cope with the high levels of stress is to consume alcohol. This coping strategy is not healthy and unfortunately, the use of alcohol as a coping strategy can lead to more harm than good. Recent studies have shown that 80 percent of all college students in America consume alcohol and that almost half of those students have binge drank in the past two weeks. This study evaluates the relationship between stress levels and the level of alcohol consumption in college students. This study is a mixed method study that was conducted with the use of sur­veys which means that the study was conducted using random sampling. These surveys were conducted on the website SurveyMonkey.com. The surveys were conducted on anonymous college students. We surveyed multiple college students about their demographics (i.e. age, race, gender, etc.) history with alcohol, their current level of alcohol consumption, their degree and the stress that is connected to their specific degree. Based on these findings, we have been able to determine the relationship between multiple factors including: the level of stress in certain degrees, the level of alcohol consumption in different years of college, the prevalence of the use of alcohol as a coping mechanism, the connection between a student with mental health issues and the level of stress that they feel, etc. The following paper outlines our methodologies, findings, and proposed solutions to the issue that we are addressing.

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