10 Things College Students Should Know about Binge Drinking

1. Binge drinking is defined as five consecutive alcoholic drinks for a man, four for a woman.
2. More than 1,400 college students die each year in alcohol-related accidents-mostly from falls, drowning and automobile accidents.
3. More than 70,000 college-age students are raped or sexually assaulted each year as a result of alcohol.
4. Fighting increases when college students drink. More than 600,000 students a year are assaulted by another student who has been drinking.
5. About 25% of college students say alcohol has hurt their academic performance and led to lower grades.
6. 8% of students- 400,000 people- report having unprotected sex when drinking, which puts them at an increased risk for pregnancy and diseases such as AIDS.
7. More than 150,000 college students a year develop a health problem due to drinking. 6% develop a dependence on alcohol.
8. Drinking a large amount at one time can lead to alcohol poisonin-also called alcohol overdose. About 300 college students die from it each year. In general, a safe amount is only one drink an hour.
9. People who drink can still have fun without bingeing if they alternate alcholic with nonalcoholic drinks.
10. Most college students do not binge drink. About 60% say they drink moderately or not at all. It's OK to say NO! (Source Positive Line)
    
    

• Between 2% and 3% of the current American college population will die from alcohol related causes.

• Thirty percent of college failure is alcohol related.

• Drinking and driving is the number one killer of Americans between the ages of 17-24.

• In the U.S., 70 people are killed daily in drunk driving accidents, that is roughly one person killed every 22 minutes.

• 69% of all drownings are alcohol related.

• One in every three suicides involves alcohol.

• The average female college student spends $150.00 per year on alcohol.

• The average male college student spends $300.00 per year on alcohol.

• The average DUI arrest costs the charged person $3000.00.

• Alcohol plays a role in 50% of all arrests.

• 90% of the vandalism that occurs on college campuses is a result of alcohol use.

• 75% to 90% of campus rapes involve alcohol use.

• 75% of men and 50% of women involved in sexual assaults had been drinking prior to the assault.

• The abuse of alcohol is present in 70% of all murders and other violent crimes.

• 54% of alcoholics have an alcoholic parent.

• One out of 3 Americans don't drink - and that's okay too.

• Death: 1,700 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes.
  
• Injury: 599,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol.
  
• Assault: More than 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking.
  
• Sexual Abuse: More than 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape.
  
• Unsafe Sex: 400,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 had unprotected sex and more than 100,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex.
  
• Academic Problems: About 25 percent of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall.
  
• Health Problems/Suicide Attempts: More than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem and between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use.
  
• Drunk Driving: 2.1 million students between the ages of 18 and 24 drove under the influence of alcohol last year.
  
• Vandalism: About 11 percent of college student drinkers report that they have damaged property while under the influence of alcohol.
  
• Property Damage: More than 25 percent of administrators from schools with relatively low drinking levels and over 50 percent from schools with high drinking levels say their campuses have a "moderate" or "major" problem with alcohol-related property damage.
  
• Police Involvement: About 5 percent of 4-year college students are involved with the police or campus security as a result of their drinking and an estimated 110,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are arrested for an alcohol-related violation such as public drunkenness or driving under the influence.
  
• Alcohol Abuse and Dependence: 31 percent of college students met criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse and 6 percent for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence in the past 12 months, according to questionnaire-based self-reports about their drinking.

Last reviewed: 9/23/2005

How can you tell whether you may have a drinking problem? Answering the following four questions can help you find out:

• Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?
• Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
• Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?
• Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning (as an "eye opener") to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?

One "yes" answer suggests a possible alcohol problem. If you answered "yes" to more than one question, it is highly likely that a problem exists. In either case, it is important that you see your doctor or other health care provider right away to discuss your answers to these questions. He or she can help you determine whether you have a drinking problem and, if so, recommend the best course of action.

Even if you answered "no" to all of the above questions, if you encounter drinking-related problems with your job, relationships, health, or the law, you should seek professional help. The effects of alcohol abuse can be extremely serious-even fatal-both to you and to others.