Many adult college students enjoy drinking alcohol, but consumption of alcohol may have negative impacts on academic performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether alcohol consumption affects the academic performance of an adult college student participant in her thirties. A correlational study was completed in which three hypotheses were tested. Hypothesis #1 was if the amount of alcohol consumed increases, then academic performance will decrease. Hypothesis # 2 was if the amount of alcohol consumed increases, then missed classes and poor grades will increase. Hypothesis #3 was if the amount of alcohol consumed increases, then academic motivation will decrease. The method used for all three hypotheses was quantitative. The amount of alcohol consumed by the participant was recorded each day over a two-week period. The participant’s academic performance, missed classes, grades and academic motivation were rated on a scale each day. The results did not demonstrate a statistically significant correlation for any of the three hypotheses. The strongest hypothesis was #1 and therefore it was used for an experimental study. The experiment used a quantitative method to determine whether there is a causal relationship between alcohol consumption and academic performance. The results of the experiment showed that increasing alcohol consumption from having one to two beers does not produce a statistically significant decrease in academic performance. A limitation of the study is that it had a small sample size and consequently the results cannot be generalized or applied to a broader population.
