Drinking Before an Exam Is/May Be O.K.?

I met a friend recently who is majoring in film production. As a graduating senior, his workload is heavier than ever. How does he deal with it? Alcohol. At first, I was worried about him because it seems have grown into a habit. Stressed out? Grab a can of beer and relax. However, he seems to be getting more work done when there is a rush of alcohol running through his body. Dependence on alcohols has always been viewed negatively because of the possibility of becoming addicted to it. Especially when it comes to academics, consumption of alcohol and GPA have demonstrated a negative correlation. Well, Christie Wilcox introduces an interesting study done in Boston University about academic performance after drinking. Unlike the common belief that drinking before an exam will lower students’ performance, this study showed that actually there was no change in performance. Although students felt groggy after drinking, their exam scores were not altered, meaning that the day before drinking had not much effect on long term and short term memory. This study should not be utilized as an excuse to binge-drink before a major exam for the purpose of relaxation. The study still did not look at the long term effect of this habit which probably will indicate drinking’s negative effect on academics. Moreover, this study implies that hard work will not easily go away. If you have been studying hard and diligently, storing equations and facts into your long term memory, a one night of alcohol-frenzy may not ruin what you have built up so strong.