Binge Drinking on College Campuses

by Liz Nalley

All colleges are unique in that each has its own resources and priorities, culture and traditions, and relationship with the community. However, no matter what university it may be, public or private, big or small, there is one serious issue that is addressed by most, if not all, college presidents, chancellors, deans, faculty and staff. In fact, most university authority figures would agree that binge drinking is the most serious problem on college campuses.

To emphasize the seriousness and extent of binge drinking, here are some facts and statistics from Harvard University's 1997 School of Public Health College Alcohol Study. The results of the study are from surveys conducted at 130 colleges in the United States. The findings are alarming.

First, it is important to define exactly what binge drinking is and that it is different for men and women. For men, binge drinking is having five or more alcoholic drinks in one sitting. One sitting meaning an evening, not one bar. For women, binging consists of four or more alcoholic drinks in one sitting. The reason that it takes fewer drinks for a woman to have a higher blood alcohol content is because alcohol is not fat soluble and women have a higher portion of body fat that men. Therefore, women have a higher blood alcohol level than men even while consuming the same amounts. In addition to knowing how binge drinking is defined, it is also important to point out exactly what one drink is. One drink is a 12 ounce beer, one 12 ounce Wine cooler, a four ounce glass of wine, one shot of liquor straight or one shot of liquor in a mixed drink. One drink is often confused with a 20 ounce cup from the 7-11 corner store.

With that being said, the Harvard survey first answers the question, "Who binges?" The findings showed that 43 percent of U.S. college students engaged in binge drinking during the two weeks before the survey. Forty eight percent of the men drank five or more drinks in a row and 39 percent of the women also engaged in binge drinking. Roughly half of the binge drinkers were frequent binge drinkers; they binged "three or more times in a two-week period."

But, binge drinking is a wide-spread phenomenon. It does not single out one particular sex, race or age. To be specific, 45 percent of binge drinkers are under 21, 48 percent are from the ages of 21-23 and 28 percent are 24 years of age and older. The percentage of students at American universities who are binge drinkers was nearly uniform from freshman to senior year, even though students under 21 are prohibited from purchasing alcohol.

When looking at college residencies, those living in fraternity or sorority housing have the highest percentage of students who are binge drinkers at 84 percent. Students living in single sex dorms being the lowest at 38 percent. Coed dorms have 52 percent of students who are binge drinkers. Off-campus housing had 40 percent of binge drinkers.

With such a high percentage of binge drinkers living in fraternity or sorority housing, compared to other college residencies, this raises the question of whether Greek organizations either attract or create binge drinkers, or even require binge drinking. Perhaps several factors are at work. Looking at further statistics in the Greek system certainly encourages a strong argument. Compared to other female students, sorority members and pledges are twice as likely to be binge drinkers (62% versus 35%). Also, compared to other male students, fraternity house residents and pledges binge more (75% versus 45%).

Furthermore, the Harvard study also showed that whites had the highest percentage of binge drinkers at 48 percent, while blacks had the lowest at 16 percent. As a profile, students more likely to binge drink are white, age 23 or younger, involved in athletics and residents of a fraternity or sorority.

Another important statistical study in the survey is the religion aspect. Only 21 percent of students who binge drink consider religion to be very important. While 48 percent of the binge drinkers did not consider religion to be very important.

But, what about college students who binge drink that were binge drinkers in high school? Is there any connection? Yes, students who were binge drinkers in high school are "three times more likely to binge in college." In addition, campus binge drinking rates also influence the drinking behavior of students once they arrive at college. Binging rates vary dramatically from campus to campus. Low binge schools are classified from 1 percent to roughly 35 percent of the students, while high binge schools are classified from 50 to 70 percent. With this in mind, here are the high school drinking changes in college from both high and low-binge schools. For high-binge schools, 38 percent were bingers in high school, and of these, 80 percent continued binge drinking in college. Also, for high-binge schools, 62 percent were non-bingers in high school, and of these, 46 percent began binge drinking in college. For low-binge schools, 24 percent were bingers in high school, and of these, 52 percent continued to binge drink. Seventy-six percent of high school students were non-bingers and of these, 17 percent began binging. Also, from the previous figures concerning sororities and fraternities, it should be noted that 60 percent of those who lived in fraternity or sorority houses had been binge drinkers in high school. Over three-fourths of fraternity and sorority residents who had not been binge drinkers in high school became binge drinkers in college.

When asked why they were drinking, the binge drinkers cited the following as important reasons for binging: "drinking to get drunk, status associated with drinking, culture of alcohol consumption on campus, peer pressure and academic stress." But the binge drinkers also reported having such alcohol-related problems: "missed class, fallen behind in school work, engaged in unplanned sexual activity, not used protection when having sex, damaged property, gotten in trouble with campus police, been hurt or injured, driven a car after drinking and used other drugs." In fact, frequent binge drinkers are "22 times more likely" to have such alcohol related problems than non-binge drinkers.

Binge drinking goes into further effect. First, alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, therefore, lowering the ability of the brain to control behavior. It also impairs your ability to perform motor skills, such as driving, and lessens the ability to move or speak effectively. Frequent binge drinking can cause memory loss, hypothermia, a decrease in sex drive, impotence, liver damage, kidney damage, brain damage, insomnia and depletion of vitamins and minerals. But, binge drinking can also cause death from aspiration of vomit leading to asphyxiation, heart failure, drug interaction, alcohol poisoning and severe withdrawal symptoms. When a college student goes to a party, a hangover is the only consequence he or she is thinking about, if any. The thought of never waking up in the morning probably never enters his or her mind. Binge drinking is a problem that not only interferes with the mission of higher education, but also carries with it serious risks of disease, injury and death.

Another serious consequence of binge drinking is the pivoting effect alcohol has into other drugs. The two drugs that binge drinkers are most vulnerable to are tobacco, both cigarettes and chewing tobacco, and marijuana. Of the 84 percent of alcohol abusers, 32 percent smoke cigarettes, 24 percent smoke marijuana and 8 percent use chewing tobacco. Binge drinkers and substance abusers also have a higher likelihood for addictive problems.

Considering all of the alarming statistics and consequences, relatively few binge drinkers consider themselves to be heavy drinkers, problem drinkers or even alcoholics. The problem is that binge drinkers compare their drinking to that of their friends or the people they party with. Women who compare their drinking to men's drinking are especially prone to underestimating their drinking. Then it is no wonder that binge drinkers are oblivious to the "secondhand binge" effects, the serious problems that binge drinkers create for other students who do not binge drink. Because these problems threaten the quality and safety of the college experience for millions of non-binging students, the issue of heavy drinking by students can no longer be viewed solely from the standpoint of the problems binge drinkers cause for themselves. It is still important to focus on protecting binge drinkers from themselves, but it is equally important to focus on the damage binge drinkers do to others and to campus life.

The Harvard study showed that "two-thirds of students responding to the study reported experiencing at least one adverse consequence of another student's drinking during the school year." For example: 61 percent had sleep or study interrupted, 50 percent had to "baby-sit" a student who was drunk, 29 percent had been insulted or humiliated, 23 percent had experienced an unwanted sexual advance, 19 percent had a serious argument with an intoxicated student, 13 percent had his/her property damaged, 9 percent had been pushed, hit or assaulted and 2 percent had been the victim of a sexual assault or "date rape". Female students are especially at risk for serious secondhand binge effects.

Another serious secondhand effect and direct effect on binge drinkers is the issue of drunk driving. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation documented that "alcohol abuse contributes to nearly half of motor vehicle fatalities, the leading cause of death among young Americans." This adds impetus to the Harvard Study number: 40 percent of males who binge frequently admit they have driven after having five or more drinks, and 50 percent of frequent bingers admitted getting into a car with a driver who was high or drunk. Sixty-two percent of men who binged three or more times in a two-week period drove after drinking. Forty-nine percent of women who binged three or more times in a two-week period drove after drinking. These kinds of statistics are staggering.

Some may be wondering whether or not they are a border-line binge drinker. Here is some further information that should confirm or resolve any anxieties concerning this issue. Three represents the total maximum number of drinks a person should ever have in a single day, and never on consecutive days. Past experience, food, weight and age are some of the other factors to consider when examining yourself. Responsible drinkers should only drink because they want to. They should also be aware of any outside influences surrounding themselves when drinking. Once a person has decided to drink, this person should recognize the responsibilities that go along with drinking, including the health, safety and pleasure of yourself and others. And lastly, as any doctor will warn you, don't mix alcohol and drugs.

A low risk drinker is able to control the times, quantity and outcomes of all alcohol using experiences. A low risk drinker also learns from any negative consequences due to drinking and is able to end those negative drinking experiences with more moderate behavior. Therefore, low risk drinkers can choose to never let serious, negative drinking consequences happen again. Low risk drinkers also show an awareness and concern regarding the serious, negative consequences of drunk driving, legally, morally and physically. Finally, a low risk drinker develops self-imposed rules to control alcohol consumption.

If you are not a low risk drinker, you may want to examine yourself more closely to determine whether you are an alcoholic. If you choose to abstain from alcohol consumption, you will not fall under any of these categories. However, you may recognize that a peer, friend or loved one is not considered a low risk drinker and may have a chemical dependency or addiction to alcohol.

Someone does not become an alcoholic overnight, nor does an alcoholic recover overnight. There are several different phases of alcohol treatment. The first phase is pre-treatment. The alcoholic has to realize that he/she is no longer a "normal drinker". This is usually marked by a motivational crisis such as losing a spouse, family or job, having a car wreck while driving drunk, killing someone while driving drunk, becoming seriously ill (cirrhosis of the liver), going bankrupt, etc. The next step of alcohol treatment is stabilization, the beginning of abstinence and detoxification. An alcoholic can go through serious withdrawal symptoms such as severe sweating and shaking, nightmares and even convulsions.

Once an alcoholic has gotten this far, the early recovery stage is the next step. In this stage, the alcoholic develops an honest desire to recover and a strong belief that it is possible to recover from this disease. The alcoholic must acknowledge the alcoholism. Once that is done, the alcoholic can advance to middle recovery. This is a time to learn about the disease of alcoholism and the recovery options and programs, such as Charter and Alcoholics Anonymous. Finally, in late recovery, the alcoholic learns to believe that it is possible to lead a life of sobriety. Some may have fallen so far that they have to learn to re-grasp the basic skills of life.

Even after all this, there is still the issue of maintenance. For as they say in AA, once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. Furthermore, alcoholism is a chronic disease that is subject to relapse. Abstinence from alcohol is imperative. It is also highly recommended that an alcoholic participate in an alcoholic program to gain support and motivation. Finding that other people share your same struggle with this life threatening disease can be comforting.

To tie in the relevance of binge drinking on college campuses, I spoke to a student at the University of Arkansas who is a recovering alcoholic. After all, the statistics above are so impersonal. This should hit home because this is someone in your community driving around on your city streets. For the sake of this student's privacy, I will be calling her Alex. Alex considers herself a recovering alcoholic. She said, "I will always be an alcoholic, but I will not consider myself to be a recovered alcoholic until I have a better grasp on the necessity of abstinence. It is so easy to slip back into that cycle of hell."

What it is like to be an alcoholic? Most people have never wondered or could only imagine. However, Alex would like to share her battle and continuing struggle with alcoholism as best as she can. But, all she can do is try to share what has become her greatest adversary. She claims that no one can fully understand unless that person is also an alcoholic. Perhaps she is right; but, nonetheless, here is our attempt.

Like many college students, Alex was introduced to alcohol during her high school career. She went to occasional parties and mostly drank wine coolers and other light cocktails. The first time she ever got drunk was from drinking "a 40 ounce container of beer, two Zimas and two more regular beers." She threw up all over herself and excreted fecal matter in her shorts when she passed out. She swore that she would never drink again. "It literally took a week to get over the hangover." But, time passed and she began to drink again during typical high school social situations. She never viewed alcohol as an addiction or even a problem during this time. After all, she was a top student on her way to the University of Arkansas on an academic scholarship.

However, the summer before her freshman year of college, the drinking became more frequent and in higher dosages. Alex said, "My tolerance had risen." She had a certain group of friends she drank and played pool with every night, literally. She even took it to the extreme of bringing beer and vodka on her family vacation to the '96 Olympics. At her aunt's house in Atlanta, she had her own room and after everyone went to sleep she would have a few drinks. "I would quietly go down stairs and roll a few cans of beer around on the ice in the freezer and then drink them. Or, I would get a cup of ice and grape juice and bring it up stairs to my room where I had the vodka." Back home her parents began to notice a problem. They could smell alcohol in her room at her aunt's house and at their home in Little Rock. There was an immediate concern about her car privileges.

When Alex left for college at Fayetteville, she was not allowed to take her car. Her parents felt she would have enough distractions as it was. They were also worried about her driving drunk. It was a legitimate concern because Alex admitted to me that she would "drive drunk and sometimes have to look out the window in the morning to see if my car was there because I didn't remember driving home." This had happened on numerous occasions, yet Alex was still oblivious to seeing a problem with the threat of what she was doing to herself and to others.

When she went to college, not much changed with her drinking patterns. Actually, they got worse. Alex met a boy who was also an alcoholic and they began dating. The relationship was unhealthy to begin with because it was founded on drinking. However, this boyfriend was controlling, possessive and mentally abusive. Alex said, "He also had a very hot temper when he was drunk and wanted to fight all the time." But this boyfriend had Alex on a hook by being her enabler, tolerating her drinking and taking care of her after she'd had too much to drink.

After her freshman year, the boyfriend flaked away due to poor grades. Also, the friendships she’d made her freshman year, which were also founded on alcohol, flaked away. Miraculously, Alex completed her freshman year with a cumulative GPA of 3.4. "For the most part, I attended classes because my Dad told me that if I flunked out I would be forced to come home and wait tables." Alex said it was hard though because she was hung-over a lot.

Alex did have one close call with a final exam the second semester of her freshman year by showing up forty-five minutes late. One of her friends from the dorm had some of her friends up from Little Rock. They were all drinking because she didn't have an exam the next day. However, Alex did and she decided to drink anyway. In fact, she drank until she passed out and forgot to set her alarm. The day of the final, she rolled out of bed as she was, "reeking of beer in my sweatpants and tee-shirt that I had slept in" and ran to her class in Old Main. Out of her professor's graciousness, she was able to take the final exam and have the full two hours from when she showed up. Alex said, "I know my professor knew what I had done the night before because I had written about how much I like to drink in one of my papers for his class. That is why I think he sympathized with me."

Alex's parents were surprised at her grade success and also grateful that she still had her academic scholarship. They assumed that the drinking was under control due to her good grades. Therefore, her parents allowed her to take the car up for her sophomore year. Unfortunately, Alex's parents' perception of her drinking was distorted because it simply wasn't right in front of them anymore.

The drinking continued through her entire college career to the present, which is her senior year. There were numerous nights she came home to go to bed, and after she passed out, in her unconscious state, she lost bladder control in her bed. Other nights she drank to the point of throwing up numerous times. Alex said, "Some mornings I was still drunk and I had to throw up before I went on about my day." But, for the most part, after a heavy night of drinking, she had to lay in the bed all day and sleep off the hang-over. Alex said that she "sobered up enough to get her school work done because it never lost its priority." She goes on to express thankfulness that she was never pulled over while driving drunk.

The red flags of alcoholism seemed to be screaming at everyone but Alex. "I didn't exactly think my drinking patterns were normal, but I didn't think I was an alcoholic." Alex attempted to stop drinking her junior year, but that didn't work out very well. Alex said, "I suppose my first mistake was going to a bar. Even though I had been sober for a while, being back in that atmosphere brought it all back to me. I wanted to hit everyone in the bar because they could drink and I couldn't." Alex expressed some hope that she will eventually be able to go back to the party scene and abstain from alcohol, but for many alcoholics this is not a real possibility.

Alex struggles to imagine going through life with being able to drink. Alex said, "It's the euphoria I'm going to miss the most." She also went on to say that she is "reminded of why she likes to drink so much, every time she drinks." It got to the point that she would rationalize why it would be okay to drink. "I would tell myself that I don't have class tomorrow; or, it wouldn't hurt me to miss this class again; or, I don't have class until 12:30; or, I can put this assignment off one more day." Once she began to rationalize why it would be okay to drink, the decision was already made and there was no turning back. Alex said, "I guess these were further signs of denial."

"After I turned 21, things got even more complicated because I could buy my own alcohol." Alex was on a limited budget, which consisted of $25 dollars a week, which was for her food for the weekends. "I would end up spending most of my food money on cover charges at clubs and drinks at the bar or the liquor store." Therefore, in order to have food money, Alex would go to the ATM to get more money out or write a check that would not be able to be covered by her checking account. After one episode of hot checks, her parents began practicing what is called "tough love". Alex said, "My parents considered themselves enablers to my dependency and they told me they were no longer going to cover my ass." It actually saddened Alex to realize that this problem developed before she was 21. "Now that I'm 21 I can't even drink, or I'm not supposed to at least."

Alex has gone to one Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting in Fayetteville at the Alano Club. She said, "When I looked up AA in the phone book and called, I asked what went on in the meetings. The operator said that I would have to go and see for myself. They aren't supposed to give that kind of information out over the phone." So, after a lot of nervousness and anxiety, Alex got up the nerve to attend a meeting. "It was kind of what I expected, but then it wasn't. I didn't really know what to expect." Alex said she introduced herself as an alcoholic and everyone said "Hi, Alex." She was kind of surprised at what kinds of people were there. "There were young and old, black, white and Hispanic, rich and poor." After that one meeting, Alex never went back. About a week later after the meeting, Alex ran into one of the men she recognized from the Alano Club at a local gas station. Alex said, "I was filling up my gas tank and he came over and started hitting on me. He was carrying a cup and I am positive he was drunk. It was only five in the evening. He was disgustingly trashy and thank goodness he didn't recognize me, at least not to my knowledge." This incident scared Alex away from the Alano Club and from AA in general.

However, after going through this cycle of drunkenness for roughly four years, Alex has recognized that she has a drinking problem. Alex said, " Before I thought that if I didn't do anything irrevocable that I could continue on with my lifestyle." By irrevocable she means getting a DWI, killing herself or someone else in a drunk driving accident, maiming herself or someone else in a drunk driving accident, getting pregnant or contracting HIV or AIDS, losing her academic scholarship, etc. However, Alex has come to realize that she has done irrevocable things. She has spent the least four years in what she calls a "blue funk." No, she has not committed vehicular manslaughter; but, she has neglected her family, lost at least two friends due to her excessive drinking, neglected her own health and body and failed to excel in any extracurricular activities. In addition to this, " I have eight scars from falling down drunk or burning myself with a cigarette while drunk."

Alex knows that she is smart because of her ability to perform so well academically despite the circumstances of her drinking. However, Alex feels that she has not given herself the opportunity to reach her full potential academically. "With a clear head, there's no telling what I could accomplish."

Alex is finally confronting herself with this problem and has decided to become a tea-totaler. It didn't matter if her parents, friends, family members or loved ones told her she was an alcoholic. Alex had to recognize the problem herself and acknowledge that she needed to take action. Alex said, "I asked myself what it would take for me to quit drinking? Would it take killing or maiming someone else in a car wreck, absolutely hitting rock bottom, paralyzing myself or someone else in a car wreck, getting pregnant or just not waking up in the morning?" Alex decided that she did not want to "encounter such pain and grief, cause a family such pain and grief or end up killing herself."

Alex has been lucky that a serious tragedy hasn't occurred in order for her to acknowledge her drinking problem. It is her goal to be a tea-totaler for the rest of her life. However, she is battling the temptation one day at a time.

Although Alex's experience wasn't good with the Alano Club chapter of AA, it is highly recommended that an alcoholic join a support group. There are numerous other chapters of AA in Fayetteville, including one at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Perhaps this would be a more comfortable setting since Alex is an Episcopalian. She is thinking of giving it a try.

Here is a brief description of what Alcoholics Anonymous is about. It is defined as "a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism." There is only one requirement for membership in AA: a desire to stop drinking. Their main purpose is to help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety and to stay sober. AA's program consists of "Twelve Steps" that are designed for personal recovery from alcohol. The average age of an AA member is 44 years.

Even though AA is not associated with any denomination, many priests believe in AA and recommend it to those in the parish who come to them or are in obvious need of some direction concerning their drinking. The Dr. Rufus Womble is one such believer. In his book "Wilt Thou be Made Whole?", he dedicates an entire chapter on the healing of an alcoholic. Womble sees alcoholism as "a disease just as diabetes or high blood pressure or arthritis." He also feels that Christ can "heal an alcoholic through faith, prayer, laying on of hands, and believing fellowship." Womble says that in addition to staying in fellowship with him and continuing to go to church, more is needed to maintain sobriety. He recommends AA for the healing to continue. Womble continues to say that Christ can and does heal alcoholics through the church and through the AA fellowship. He says, "The 12 steps in AA are in 100% agreement with the theology of the New Testament."

If a student is looking for something more private, or help available on campus, the University of Arkansas Health Center offers CAPS, Counseling and Psychological Services. All appointments and sessions are confidential, if anonymity is an important issue for a student. CAPS offers community education addressing the tools that are needed to deal with the challenges and opportunities of college life. Also, counseling and psychotherapy is offered through groups, individual therapy, couple therapy and family therapy. CAPS offers programs that emphasize time-related treatment to deal with particular issues within a relatively brief time. It also offers services that deal with emergencies and require immediate attention. It is important to note that CAPS does not only deal with binge drinking, alcoholism or the effects of someone's drinking on other people. CAPS provides an excellent opportunity for treatment of a drinking problem, but it is not limited to such services.

But, for those binge drinkers and alcoholics on college campuses who are not open to idea of attending AA meetings or going to on campus help groups such as CAPS, what can be done on the campuses themselves? It is first important for everyone to understand the extent of alcohol abuse problems and its impact on the campus.

A study done by Donna E. Shalala, Secretary of Health and Human Services, suggests a drive around campus observing, checking out the local bars and clubs, checking attendance during Friday classes, and observing sorority and fraternity houses late at night as well as residence halls. Next, begin a systematic effort for prevention and intervention strategies to deter alcohol abuse. Shalala emphasizes involving everyone, and making sure that psychologists, sociologists, linguists, lawyers, anthropologists, etc. have an important role. This must be a campus-wide effort. This should especially include Resident Assistants (RA) and security officers. Both could enhance both prevention and early intervention efforts.

It is also important to change the expectations of incoming freshman before they arrive on campus. Campus representatives should make sure they know that binge drinking and drunken behavior are decidedly unwelcome. Another approach would be to challenge the Greeks by holding higher standards for them and not being so lenient when they mess up. It may take kicking an organization off campus to get the whole Greek community's attention.

Involve the community by encouraging state and local officials to enforce underage drinking laws. Also, encourage local bars and liquor stores to ID every person who walks into the bar or store. Ask the bars to limit or eliminate the promotion of discount drinks and contests. The bars and clubs are only encouraging drunkenness and heavy drinking by placing such ads.

Most of all, Shalala is adamant about having the students take the lead. Have them be examples of their own self-generated code of respectful community behavior and what should be considered the norm. Instead of the authority preaching to the student body, let the students take charge and express how they feel by making drunkenness an unacceptable excuse for violent and disruptive behavior. There should be more than enough students who have experienced the second-hand binge effects that they are ready to speak up. More will follow.

One other thing to consider as an individual, if your going to throw a party be sure you exhibit responsible drinking behavior. Limit yourself to three drinks or abstain from alcohol use all together. Most of all, be a responsible host. This can be done through several easy steps. First, provide food at the party. This will slow down the alcohol absorption in the blood stream of your guests. Also, don't make the mistake of insisting that everyone drink. With peer and environmental influences combined, this situation can be horrid. Instead, provide plenty of alternate non-alcoholic beverages so that your guests will have an option and won't feel pressured to drink. Make plans for drunkenness by having a few designated drivers that are abstaining from all alcohol consumption. It may be necessary to take keys at the door when guests arrive. Finally, it is never a bad idea to set rules for levels of consumption. If you are not a responsible host, there could be some terrible consequences that could have been avoided.