Literature Review 5

Ragsdale, Kathleen, et al. "'Liquor Before Beer, You're In The Clear': Binge Drinking And Other Risk Behaviours Among Fraternity/Sorority Members And Their Non-Greek Peers." Journal Of Substance Use 17.4 (2012): 323-339 17p.CINAHL with Full Text. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.

This study is about the types of people and the organizations they belong to when it comes to binge drinkers.  This study gives accurate statistics about they type of people that use alcohol more than others.

The author is Kathleen Ragsdale.  She is currently an associate research professor.  She received her Masters of Sociology at FIU and her Ph D at the university of Florida.  This being the case, I believe she is qualified to lead this type of study.

Risk Behaviors-a lifestyle activity that places a person at increased risk of suffering a particular condition, illness, or injury

Binge Drinking- excessive amounts of drinking in a short period of time

"...high-risk drinking such as binging (i.e. heavy episodic drinking) and frequent binging (i.e. frequent heavy episodic drinking) has increased and are especially prevalent among students who are members of Greek organizations" (Page 324).

 "For example, pledges may be required to drink alcohol, water, urine or putrid concoctions until they vomit or lose consciousness; perform intense calisthenics in extreme temperatures; submit to paddling (being struck on the buttocks with wooden paddles); submit to racial/sexualised verbal abuse; or view/engage in sexual acts"  (Page 325).

"When predicting the likelihood of the student engaging in physical fights, only gender is significant among the demographic variables such that males are over two times as likely to engage in physical fights as compared to females" (Page 333). 

This study will be able to help me explore my topic because it gives hard numbers and calculations pertaining to alcohol in greek members lives at college.  In the study, it shows that the most prevalent cases of binge drinking occur from men in fraternities.  This is basically the case that I have made, stating that men in fraternities use alcohol as a way to display their masculinity.  I finally will be given statistics to include in my project, which I think will help bring my idea full circle.