Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING Introduction
Alcoholism is a disease in which an individual continues to crave for alcohol despite of repeated alcohol-related problems. The signs of alcoholism and alcohol abuse are very similar, and are often just a question of degree or intensity. Typically, the last person to be aware that he/she has a serious drinking problem is the alcoholic himself/herself - they are in denial. Some signs and symptoms of alcoholism as well as alcohol abuse include, drinking alone, not being able to limit how much alcohol is consumed, dropping hobbies and activities the person used to enjoy; losing interest in them, feeling an urge to drink, having relationship problems, having problems with the law, having money problems, and requiring a larger quantity of alcohol to feel its effect (Videbeck, 2007).
Alcoholism does not only affect the adults. According to Sociological theory, alcoholism is a learned response. This often happens at a young age. A child may see things around them or on TV of people drinking and they tend to believe that is the right thing to do. This addiction is primarily believed to be because of society's influences. This often will affect persons who mostly drink in groups. This theory is based more on the peer pressure a person might receive, so they often turn to alcohol drinking problems during college years. Moreover, it has become a public health concern because of its effect on the future of a child.
The goal of the current study is to assess the primary psychosocial factors that predict problem drinking among college students. Variables examined included demographic variables, personality, drinking history, alcohol expectancies, drinking motives, stress and coping, activity involvement, and peer and family influence. Evidence from studies of college drinking indicated that the variables associated with