The consequences of alcoholism on University female students in the Vhembe District of the Limpopo Province, South Africa

ABSTRACT Alcohol is known to make people merry, more outgoing and it is actually a depressant of the central nervous system. This paper determines whether alcoholism affects UNIVEN female students’ academic performance. The research paper employed qualitative design data collection methods. Snowball sampling was used to select six participants who were all University of Venda students. Snowball sampling method was considered suitable for this paper as it was difficult to locate people who drank excessively and who were willing to participate in the study. Data was collected from female students who drank alcohol and were in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th level of their study. Data were analysed thematically. The findings revealed that daily life challenges faced by female students lead them to drink alcohol which leads to numerous consequences. It has been recommended that drinking alcohol should be avoided since it is very dangerous to the lives of people, especially female students.