College Binge Drinking FACTS / RISKS / STATISTICS

Students who live in a fraternity or sorority house are the heaviest drinkers – 86% of fraternity residents and 80% of sorority residents report binge drinking.1

In a recent study, 39% of college women binge drank within a 2-week period compared with 50% of college men.2

Colleges with high binge drinking rates were also much more likely to attract students who were binge drinkers in high school.3

In one multi-campus survey, white non-Hispanic students reported the highest percetage of binge drinking in a 2-week period (43.8%), followed by Native American (40.6%), Hispanic (31.3%), Asian (22.7%), and black non-Hispanic (22.5%) students. This pattern of binge drinking differences among ethnic groups is also seen in high school students.4

Consequences of Binge Drinking5

Alcohol poisoning – a severe and potentially fatal physical reaction to an alcohol overdose – is the most serious consequence of binge drinking. When excessive amounts of alcohol are consumed, the brain is deprived of oxygen. The struggle to deal with an overdose of alcohol and lack of oxygen will eventually cause the brain to shut down the voluntary functions that regulate breathing and heart rate.

If a person is known to have consumed large quantities of alcohol in a short period of time, symptoms of alcohol poisoning include:

• Vomiting
• Unconsciousness
• Cold, clammy, pale, or bluish skin
• Slow or irregular breathing (less than 8 breaths a minute or 10 or more seconds between breaths).

BINGE DRINKING: DID YOU KNOW?

Frequent binge drinkers were eight times more likely than non-binge drinkers to miss a class, fall behind in schoolwork, get hurt or injured, and damage property.6
More than 60% of college men and almost 50% of college women who are frequent binge drinkers report that they drink and drive.7

Binge drinking during college may be associated with mental health disorders such as compulsiveness, depression or anxiety, or early deviant behavior.8

In a national study, 91% of women and 78% of the men who were frequent binge drinkers considered themselves to be moderate or light drinkers.9

Secondary Effects of Binge Drinking

In schools with high binge drinking rates, 34% of non-binge drinkers reported being insulted or humiliated by binge drinkers; 13% reported being pushed, hit, or assaulted; 54% reported having to take care of a drunken student; 68% were interrupted while studying; and 26% of women experienced an unwanted sexual advance.10

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Sources
1 Erenberg, Debra, Hacker, George, Problem? What Problem? Some basic facts about the drinking culture, in Last Call for High-Risk Bar Promotions That Target College Students: A Community Action Guide, 1997.
2 Lyall, Katherine, Binge Drinking in College: A Definitive Study in Binge Drinking on American College Campuses: A New Look at an Old Problem, August.
3 Ibid.
4 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, College Students and Drinking, Alcohol Alert No. 29, Bethesda, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1995.
5 American Academy of Pediatrics, Binge Drinking, Washington, D.C.: 1999.
6 Wechsler, Henry, Dowdall, George, Maenner, Gretchen, Gledhill-Hoyt, Jeana, and Hang Lee, Changes in binge drinking and related problems among American college students between 1993 and 1997: Results of the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study, Journal of American College Health, Volume 47, 1998.
7 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, College Students and Drinking, Alcohol Alert No. 29, Bethesda, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1995.
8 Ibid.
9 Lyall, Katherine, Binge Drinking in College: A Definitive Study In Binge Drinking on American College Campuses: A New Look at an Old Problem, August 1995, a report supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 1995.
10 Ibid.
SAMHSA, a public health agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government’s lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States. Further information about SAMHSA is available on the Internet at www.samhsa.gov.