NEWS
Binge drinking explodes in popularity as E use falls
By Karla Courtney
Gazette Staff
Results from a recent study confirm something many Western
students may already realize — more students are binge
drinking.
A report by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Heath Ontario
provides an analysis of drug use among students between Grades
7 and 12. Over 6,660 students were surveyed and the study’s
results show that within the last 10 years, the number of binge
drinkers has increased from 15 to 25 per cent. Students admitting
to taking ecstasy, however, decreased from six per cent in
2001 to 4.1 per cent today.
One of the questions experts are now considering is why ecstasy
use is becoming less popular and why binge drinking is on the
rise.
“They don’t know the cause, but information on
risks involved with ecstasy have gotten out and students are
finding other alternatives,” explained Western psychiatry
and psychology professor David Wolfe, who is also academic
director for the Centre of Research on Violence Against Women
and Children at Western. “But binge drinking is not a
smarter choice. [It] has always been the biggest problem,” he
stated.
Wolfe noted that alcohol can cause both short and long term
health problems, and although no one can say exactly why it
is so often abused, alcohol is clearly an easier alternative.
When told about the study, Western students held similar opinions.
“Alcohol is definitely the drug of choice. If you look
at [ecstasy] versus weed or alcohol, just look at the effects — apparently
there are over 2,000 kinds of ecstasy and you never know what
you are going to get,” said third-year social science student
Stephen Cole.
“It’s more culturally acceptable to drink and
it’s a big aspect of rez life,” said first-year
health sciences student Tanya Sehgal. “You don’t
have your parents with you. It’s another abuse of freedom.”
