Think twice before mixing alcohol with academics – binge drinking won’t boost your GPA. Instead, staying sober and focused while studying will help you get to the top.
Studying throughout the week may get stressful and overwhelming for college students. As a result, many students indulge in drinking sessions over the weekends. Many students think that drinking can help increase their test scores. In reality, it’s the other way around. According to research published in the National Library of Medicine, “Alcohol may cause a significant reduction in GPA.”
Drinking alcohol is often perceived as a means of removing the fear of failure, promoting relaxation, and lowering inhibitions while studying. That’s why many students turn to alcohol to unwind and enjoy a beer.
However, any benefits are temporary at best. Even if a student manages to perform well in an assignment after a night of binge drinking, it is likely due to prior knowledge or aptitude rather than the alcohol itself.
Alcohol is never good for your academic progress. In this article, you will explore the top reasons why you should avoid drinking while studying and how harmful alcohol is to your mental and physical well-being.
1. Effects On Cognitive Health
Consuming alcohol is detrimental to the brain, especially if you’re not in good health. You may temporarily find yourself stress-free, but it will negatively impact your academic performance.
Drinking the night before exams is not a great idea. Alcohol affects the functioning of brain cells (neurons) and reduces their ability to transmit electrical pulses. As a result, you may witness poor concentration, difficulty in remembering lectures and notes, recalling previous lessons, and a lack of problem-solving abilities.
Getting good grades is hard work, and consuming alcohol will only make things worse for you. Binge drinking is highly dangerous as it may cause anxiety, depression, reduced reaction time, sleeping disorders, aggressive behavior, and dementia in the long run.
2. Effects on body
It is best to enjoy your drink in moderation and avoid it while studying. There are tons of side effects of consuming excessive alcohol. Along with memory loss and cognitive impairment, heavy drinking may lead to dehydration, liver damage, inflammation, high blood pressure, heart stroke, and, worst, liver and breast colorectal cancer.
According to WHO “Alcohol consumption is one of the major modifiable risk factors for the disease, causing 7 of every 100 new breast cancer cases”. It also weakens your immune system and increases the chances of infections. So if you wanna achieve great things in life, try to drink occasionally and keep your mind and body fit and healthy.
3. Impaired Judgment
No doubt consuming alcohol will affect your central nervous system. This happens because the prefrontal cortex, which helps an individual in making the correct decisions, becomes impaired.
Consuming alcohol can significantly alter a person’s mood compared to being sober. When in a bad mood, students may be more susceptible to making poor decisions, engaging in risky sexual behavior, and experiencing anger issues.
College students enjoy a group study night with a couple of cold beers but end up all drunk. Since alcohol provides a sense of pleasure, students opt to drink more and more. It turns out to be the worst decision as the next day, they fail to recall anything they tried learning from their notes. In short, don’t make any decisions while drunk that you may regret later.
4. Risk of Hangovers
Hangovers are common when you talk about alcohol. Studying and hangovers don’t mix well. When you’re in a hangover stage, your body tries to eliminate the toxins from the alcohol as quickly as possible. It will be hard for you to concentrate on your exams if your body feels dehydrated.
Hangovers also increase the rate of absenteeism among students. Some common symptoms of hangovers are nausea, vomiting, weakness, stomach pain, increased blood pressure, and irritability. To avoid the risk of hangovers, consume alcohol in moderation.
While studying, it becomes hard for you to memorize stuff resulting in failure to deliver optimal performance during the test. You will feel sleepy throughout class lectures and have difficulty completing a task assigned.
5. Sleeping Disorders
Insomnia is one of the most common side effects when it comes to alcohol. Most students believe that they will get a good night’s sleep after drinking any alcoholic beverage. If you keep visiting the washroom frequently, it becomes hard for you to enjoy a peaceful sleep.
The next day, your body will feel exhausted, and you will feel irritated even on small issues.
If a person consumes alcohol for sleeping purposes, then it will work only for a short period. According to the American Addiction Center, “Higher doses of alcohol have been shown to disrupt sleep, particularly during the second half of the night.”
Avoiding alcohol and sleeping on time can help take your academic performance to the next level.
6. Waste of Money & Injuries
Most students develop drinking habits as a result of peer pressure, and wasting your precious money on buying alcohol is certainly not worth it. Once you get addicted to partying, you find yourself trapped in a circle of spending and drinking. This lowers your academic performance as your body no longer feels fit for any activity. You may also miss out on a career opportunity.
Only a few drinks can get you fully drunk. Unfortunately, most students are ignorant of the risk involved with drunk driving. A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states, “32 people in the U.S are killed every day in crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver-this is one death every 45 minutes”. In any circumstance, don’t drive while drunk.
7. Fear of Addiction
Sometimes you feel like you just can’t keep yourself away from alcohol and experience distress and difficulty in managing day-to-day activities. At that point, there are high chances you are suffering from Alcohol Use Disorder. It is highly recommended to seek a doctor and find immediate treatment.
Excessive alcohol can lead to mental confusion, permanent brain damage, or, worst, death. Instead of drinking, learn to say No to binge drinking. Most of your friends will make fun of you, and you may feel isolated. But remember, you should be well aware of your drinking capacity and know that it’s not gonna help you get an A+ on a test.
Conclusion
Although consuming alcohol may appear relaxing for students as it removes all their exam fears and reduces inhibitions. But in reality, it causes a lack of focus, failure to recall memory, and creates blurred vision which makes it more difficult to study. You can’t study when you feel like sitting on a rolling chair.
In addition, you won’t be able to save any money if you keep spending on alcohol. As a student, you must learn to prioritize your studies and develop healthy eating and timely sleeping habits.
You can party and enjoy your booze once you ace all your exams but remember staying sober or drinking moderately is a key to your academic success.
I am a passionate beer connoisseur with a deep appreciation for the art and science of brewing. With years of experience tasting and evaluating various beers, I love to share my opinions and insights with others and I am always eager to engage in lively discussions about my favorite beverage.
