Team DRINK was formed in the Spring of 2020 through the Gemstone Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. The aim of our research is to discover the pathway that ethanol takes to the brain and negatively affect the body. This discovery will hopefully lead to the treatments for alcohol poisoning, a prevalent condition in society especially among college students, people genetically predisposed to addiction or who have grown up around excessive alcohol consumption, and those who are suffering from underlying mental health issues. 

 

When it comes to drinking culture on college campuses in America, students are exposed to the realities of heavy drinking and the consequences it poses to young adults. The college and American drinking cultures are heavily intertwined and often involve heavy drinking and binge drinking. American drinking culture relies on alcohol companies’ advertisements, which are geared towards feeling young and typically connect alcohol consumption with parties and large gatherings desirable to their target audience. This creates a link between enjoyment and alcohol, which encourages social drinking. Social drinking is often accompanied by peer pressure to heavily or binge drink which in turn can quickly lead to alcohol poisoning.

 

As undergraduate students ourselves, we have been exposed to binge drinking culture and have seen first-hand the effects it has on people. With our research, we intend to find the mechanism of ethanol in which it binds to the brain and pave the way for the treatment and reduce the mortality rate of alcohol poisoning both on and off-campus.