Female ADHD College Students & Academic Success with Binge Drinking

Binge drinking among college students continues to be a social concern as well as a health concern. Even with these issues, many college students also lose significant time engaging in academic studies due to the associated secondary effects of binge drinking. As a parent, if your daughter is heading off to college, it is important to discuss the issues of binge drinking and discuss health issues that often affect female college students more so than male college students.

For the female college student population, especially those with a history of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, there is an increased risk for complications associated with a hangover. Being diagnosed with ADHD prior to reaching college comes as a 'double-edge sword' for female college students. Because ADHD often is a condition that leads to a greater tendency of binge drinking, female students with ADHD run the risk of failing in college when the binge drinking is not well controlled. But, even greater is the risk of health complications associated with the hangover in these same female students.

As your daughter heads off to college, if she is involved in social activities and recreational activities in which alcohol consumption may be a factor, be certain you have addressed the short-term and long-term health issues with her. In many ADHD female students, when the ADHD symptoms are not well managed, the risk for binge drinking is far grater and, ultimately, this will lead to greater complications in the morning after and the associated hangover complications. To the benefit of some students, however, even when ADHD symptoms are not well managed, if the hangover is severe enough there may be less of risk for repeat binge drinking.