U.S. College Binge Drinking on the Rise

Thanks to Jim Geckler over at Assistance In Recovery for sending me a great article this morning. According to the Healthday Reporter, binge drinking in U.S. colleges is growing even as we bring more attention to it. As I mentioned here and here in earlier blogs, binge drinking and abusive behavior has been growing in this current generation.

According to the article, drinking-related deaths among students and young adults aged 18 to 24 years have increased from 1,440 a year in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005, according to a report from the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. And the number of students who acknowledged driving drunk rose from 26 to 29 percent.

Ralph Hingson, the chief researched on this project, had this to say: "The younger people are when they first become intoxicated, the greater the likelihood that when they are in college they will meet alcohol-dependence criteria: that they will drive after drinking; that they will ride with drinking drivers; they will be injured under the influence of alcohol; or they will have unplanned and unprotected sex after drinking."

None of these things sound like fun. We've seen stories in the news of parents providing alcohol to minors for years, and allowing them to drive afterwards. I know in my experience, parents thought they were providing a safe environment for drinking, and didn't know the extent of the consequences to follow.

Dr. Marc Galanter, director of the division of alcoholism and drug abuse in the psychiatry department at the New York University School of Medicine, had this to say: "The heavy drinking during college not only results in severe consequences at that time, [but] it also primes college students for later alcohol addiction. Heavier drink at this age is a predictor of later alcoholism and is likely a major causative factor."

I know that for me, my binge drinking in college lead to me having to find a new path, as my college didn't exactly agree with my behavior. Drinking and driving is also a part of my story, and I'm very very lucky that I didn't have major consequences. Looking back with a sober mind, those decisions were awful- yet I wasn't able to access the "prevention education" that I was taught in school. We need to make sure help is available and accessible for those in need. And we really need to push our kids to recognize that it's OK to ask for help when one needs it. Otherwise, our statistics will get worse, and more and more kids will die as a result of these dangerous behaviors.

Here's a video about defining college binge drinking:


Here's another video about one woman's experience with binge drinking:



Here's something a little more lighthearted.

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Sober in the Animal House

A blog in the Well section of the New York Times spoke about a 19-year-old college student, Owen Jennings, at Dartmouth with liver disease. This was not caused by drinking, but as a result, he is unable to drink in order to save his liver. His blog talked about his experience, i.e. "Sober in the Animal House," as he was a pledge at the same fraternity that was the focus of the infamous movie. Here's my favorite quote from the article:

"If I hadn’t been diagnosed with liver disease, I would probably be a part of this insane and inane drinking lifestyle. But I’ve come to realize that while I might feel left out at a party or a bar today, maybe I’m lucky. I will graduate from college without ever having woken up on a bathroom floor, wondering how I got there; without ever having to play hide-and-go-seek with the police."

I find this connection similar to being a sober alcoholic in a crazy environment (however, most sober alcoholics have woken up on bathroom floors and run from police). The part that I love about being sober when around people partying is the fact that I can observe the behaviors I used to engage in, and find a new sense of gratitude about my sobriety. The other part that Jennings

What this also touches on is the pressure to drink in a college environment. Jennings talks about turning down cigarettes and marijuana and feeling no pressure. But when someone offers him a drink, they ask again and again if he wants one. "When I decline alcohol, the response is almost always, 'Why not?'" It seems that drinking, even underage, has become not only a social pressure but the social norm. To deny this is almost criminal. We hear stories every day of 18 and 19 year old college students suffering from alcohol poisoning, abusive drinking, and reckless behavior. The new found freedom can almost be too much. How do we prevent this or encourage safer habits? That, my friends, is the big question.

With more and more college age students entering substance abuse treatment, we as a country need to address this growing problem. The Harvard School of Public Health did a national study that showed 42% of college students had engaged in binge drinking over the past year. That is crazy- and why aren't we providing accurate education on this? I can remember being told not to drink in school, but never any education on what to do when you drink too much. Perhaps improving our education and information around this would actually create some change.

Here's a video on college binge drinking:



And here's a public service ad about binge drinking:



Here's something funny.

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