A study released last year by the Harvard School of Public Health provided startling information about binge drinking among college students. Binge Drinking on Campus: Results of a National Study analyzes data collected from a 1999 national sample of nearly 14,000 students at 140 four-year colleges and universities in 39 states. "The researchers found that 44 percent of U.S. college students engaged in binge drinking during the two weeks prior to the survey," Hunt said.

The student questionnaire defined a "drink" as a 12-ounce can or bottle of beer, a 12-ounce canned or bottled wine cooler, a four-ounce glass of wine, or a shot of liquor, either straight or in a mixed drink. Binge drinking was defined differently for men and women. For males, binge drinking is having five or more drinks in a row and for females as four or more drinks in a row. "That may not sound like much, but those four or five drinks contain more than enough alcohol to significantly affect behavioral and emotional responses, as well as to critically impair coordination and decision-making processes," Hunt noted.

Based on the researcher’s data, 50 percent of the male survey respondents and 39 percent of female respondents were binge drinkers. Two in five students drank during the school year, but not enough to be classified as binge drinkers. One in six students did not drink at all. "Our goal is to increase the number of students abstaining from alcohol," Hunt said. "This survey provides some demographic indicators that do a good job predicting binge drinking behavior. By targeting the at-risk populations, we can work to reduce the high levels of binge drinking on college campuses."

The survey found that white students were over twice as likely to be binge drinkers compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Students who said that religious participation is not very important to them were more than twice as likely to be binge drinkers compared to other students. Students who said that athletic participation was very important or important to them were almost one-and-a-half times more likely to be binge drinkers. Residents of fraternities or sororities were four times as likely to be binge drinkers compared to other students. "That is not surprising," Hunt said. "Our society tends to promote the association of alcohol with social events. Fraternities and sororities are social organizations."

Interestingly, a student’s class status (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior,) was not a significant predictor of binge drinking. The percentage of students who were binge drinkers was nearly uniform from freshman through senior year, despite the fact that students under 21 are subject to the minimum drinking age law. "The legal and personal disruptions are, perhaps, the most disturbing aspect of binge drinking on campus," Hunt said. "Aside from the potential legal consequences underage drinkers face, binge drinkers of all ages on campus reported the same types of personal problems as a result of their drinking."

Frequent binge drinkers were seven to 16 times more likely than non-binge drinkers to have missed class, gotten behind in their school work, engaged in unplanned sexual activity, not used protection when having sex, gotten in trouble with campus police, damaged property, or been hurt or injured. Among frequent binge drinkers, 62 percent of the men and 49 percent of the women said they had driven a car after drinking. Approximately half these students said they had ridden with a driver who was high or drunk. "The Harvard study determined that binge drinking is the most serious drug problem on college campuses," Sawyer said.

RESOURCES

• Binge Drinking on Campus: Results of a National Study by Henry Wechsler, Ph.D.; George W. Dowdall, Ph.D.; Andrea Davenport; and William DeJong, Ph.D. (Harvard School of Public Health). The report summarizes data collected from colleges and universities in 1993. In 1997 and 1999, these institutions were resurveyed, and the results were published in 1998 and 2000. The most recent results from the College Alcohol Study and links to an article comparing the 1993 and 1997 survey results are available at www.hsph.harvard.edu/cas/.
  

• The DMH/MR Division of Substance Abuse Services can provide information about substance abuse as well as referrals to local substance abuse treatment programs. Contact them at (334) 242-3961. An anonymous Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator is available on the DMH/MR website at http://www.mh.state.al.us. Click on the link for "Substance Abuse." The facility locator allows anyone to enter their ZIP code anonymously and receive a listing of substance abuse treatment facilities in their area.

The Alabama Council on Substance Abuse operates a 24-hour weekly crisis line. Call 1-800-SOBER90 for help.