Should Alcoholic Beverages Be Banned on College Campuses?
This essay argues in favor of banning alcoholic beverages on college campuses, including for students who have reached the legal drinking age. Drawing on research by Wechsler, Gledhill, and Nelson (2001), the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (2002), and other sources, the paper makes three core claims: alcohol bans reduce heavy episodic drinking and promote lifelong abstinence; permitting alcohol conflicts with the educational mission and safety obligations of colleges; and banning alcohol can protect student health and reduce injury and death. The essay also acknowledges and rebuts a counterargument — that such bans may drive drinking off campus — before concluding that the weight of evidence supports a campus-wide prohibition.
- Introduction: Thesis: alcohol should be banned on all campuses
- Alcohol Bans and Long-Term Drinking Behavior: Bans reduce heavy episodic drinking later in life
- Campus Mission and Student Safety: Alcohol conflicts with educational mission and safety
- Health Risks, Injuries, and Death: Alcohol linked to injuries, death, and reckless behavior
- Counterarguments and Rebuttal: Ban may push drinking off campus, but benefits remain
- Conclusion: Ban arguments are valid and well-founded overall
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What makes this paper effective
- The essay builds its case systematically, devoting a distinct argument to each rationale for the ban — behavioral outcomes, institutional mission, and health and safety — before addressing counterarguments.
- Each claim is anchored to a cited source, including peer-reviewed research (Wechsler et al., 2001) and a federal health agency (NIAAA, 2002), which strengthens credibility for a short persuasive essay.
- The inclusion and direct rebuttal of Reilly (2016) demonstrates intellectual fairness and strengthens the overall argument by anticipating and dismissing the strongest objection.
Key academic technique demonstrated
This paper models the classical concession-refutation move: the author openly acknowledges a credible opposing viewpoint (that bans may push drinking off campus) and then explains why the counterargument, while raising valid points, does not outweigh the benefits of the ban. This technique is essential in persuasive academic writing and shows the writer is engaging honestly with the debate rather than ignoring dissent.
Structure breakdown
The essay follows a standard five-paragraph persuasive structure expanded to cover multiple supporting points. It opens with a clear thesis, advances three independent supporting arguments in sequential body paragraphs, devotes one paragraph to a counterargument and rebuttal, and closes with a brief conclusion restating the thesis. Citations are formatted in APA style throughout.
Introduction
Various arguments have been presented regarding whether alcoholic beverages should be banned on college campuses — even for students who have reached the legal drinking age. This essay advances the position that there is a compelling need to ban alcoholic beverages on campus, with that ban applying to all students regardless of age.
Alcohol Bans and Long-Term Drinking Behavior
Banning alcoholic beverages on campus would help minimize alcohol abuse both during college and later in life. This assertion is supported by prior research. In a study conducted by Wechsler, Gledhill, and Nelson (2001), the authors found that "students at ban colleges were 30% less likely to be heavy episodic drinkers and more likely to abstain from alcohol" (p. 135). It therefore follows that banning alcohol on campus would help students become more responsible adults by enhancing their chances of abstaining from alcohol going forward.
Campus Mission and Student Safety
Colleges should promote only those activities that advance their core mission — learning and knowledge acquisition. Permitting activities that are not aligned with that mandate is both inappropriate and counterproductive. Alcoholic beverages do not advance the educational agenda of these institutions and should therefore be banned. Moreover, colleges have a responsibility to ensure a safe environment for all students. Permitting students to drink on campus would undermine that responsibility. This concern is underscored by the fact that "every year, 696,000 college students are assaulted by another student who has been drinking" (University of Nevada, 2021).
Conclusion
Although banning alcohol on campus for all students — including those of legal drinking age — may be controversial, the arguments presented in this essay are valid and well-founded. A campus-wide ban reduces long-term heavy drinking, upholds the educational mission of higher education institutions, and protects student health and safety. On balance, the case for prohibition is compelling.
References
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism – NIAAA (2002). Changing the Culture of Campus Drinking. https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa58.htm
Reilly, K. (2016). Why banning hard alcohol on college campuses may not be the answer. Time. https://time.com/4463227/stanford-hard-liquor-ban/
University of Nevada (2021). Is binge drinking in college worth a lifetime of damage and health issues?
Wechsler, H., Gledhill, J. E., & Nelson, T. F. (2001). Alcohol use and problems at colleges banning alcohol: Results of a national survey. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 62(2), 133–141.
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