Binge drinking is a form of alcohol abuse. It is the large consumption of liquor per sitting that leads to physical and cognitive impairment. It remains an ever growing problem amongst college students as the sub cultural of partying is looking to surpass the academic culture of campus life. Currently binge drinking is constituted for males as having more than 5 drinks in one sitting and for females as having more than 4 drinks although recent studies from Harvard Universities department of Public Health shows that 51% of college males drink more than 5 drinks in a row, about 12, and 40% of college females drink more than 4 in a row, about 9. This study also tells us that 44% of US college students have participated in binge drinking in the last two weeks.
The most likely of candidates for binge drinking include white students under the age of 21, particularly so if they are in a fraternity or sorority. This is three times more likely if they were binge drinkers in high school. College binge drinkers reported doing so due to a need for social status, peer pressure, academic stress and 47% reported binge drinking to get drunk due to their new found freedoms from authoritarian homes. One in four reported binging at minimum three times a week.
This ever popular growing past time with college students has severely detrimental effects to themselves, their classmates and communities. NIAAA statistics based on college binge drinkers between the ages of 18 and 24 show that in a given year binge drinking results in 1400 deaths, 500,000 injuries, 600,000 assaults, 70,000 cases of sexual abuse, 40,000 cases of unprotected sex of which 10,000 of these are reported as being too drunk to know if they consented, 150,000 alcohol related health problems, 1.5% attempted suicide and 2.1 million drive drunk. Of all of these 31% of binge drinkers meet the DSM criteria for abuse and 6% meet the criteria for dependence. Of all college binge drinkers 25% show immense academic suffering and are 21 more times likely than the non binging student to miss class, fall behind, damage property, get hurt, engage in unplanned and unprotected sex and get into trouble with campus police and officials. A combining of college surveys show that binge drinkers dramatically affect their academic peers. Results from non binging college students report that 71% have their sleep and studying interrupted, 57% get stuck tending to intoxicated students, 36% have been insulted or humiliated, 23% have unwanted sexual encounters, 23% get into serious arguments, 16% have had their property damaged, 11% have been physically assaulted and 1% haven been raped by a severely intoxicated peer.
Just as binge drinking in high school increases the likeliness of binging in college, binging in college increases the likeliness of future drinking problems. This creates a problem for society as more professionals are being fired for being intoxicated on the job; this includes lawyers, doctors, surgeons, engineers. These are all people that we depend on to go about our lives are maintain our society and being intoxicated hinders this. In order to prevent this colleges need to implement and enforce dry campus policies, produce punishments for drinking on campus, support more anti-drinking groups and stop looking the other way. Although college is a time for becoming independent and it is not the college’s job to monitor the drinking habits of the students it is their job to produce well rounded adults capable of making informed decisions that benefit themselves and society. This can not be done by allowing excessive drinking. Until something is done the consequences and the statistics for them will continue to show an increase as they have been over the last 5 years.
