Binge Drinking: What College Students and Parents Need to Know

One of the popular methods of social interaction among college students is binge drinking, the act of consuming excessive amounts of alcohol at regular intervals. College life presents students with multiple opportunities to party and drink. While all drinking can be dangerous, binge drinking can be even more harmful to your body and to those around you. Throughout this blog, I will explain exactly what binge drinking is, what behaviors it can lead to and consequences it has, as well as what can be done to help someone who suffers from binge drinking.

Binge Drinking: What is it?

Binge drinking, as defined in a study by Dr. Henry Wechsler, is when a man consumes five or more drinks, and woman four or more drinks in a period of roughly two hours (922).  When a person binge drinks, his/her blood alcohol concentration is at or above 0.08 grams percent, which is the legal limit. Currently, it is the most common form of excessive alcohol consumption, with about one in six adults claiming to binge drink at least four times a month. It is most common in adults between the ages of 18 and 34 (CDC).

Who is most likely to binge drink?

In Wechsler's study, 44 percent of those surveyed fell under the classification of “binge drinker”. Of that percentage, half were male and 39 percent were female. One of the most significant determinants of binging was a person’s social status in college. A large number of men who qualified as binge drinkers were white male students who had a grade average of a B or lower. Also, student who are "part of campus life" such as living in dormitories, having multiple friends, and having roommates could increase one's chances of binge drinking (Wechsler, 923). As well as engaging in campus life, students who engaged in risky behaviors also showed higher risk for binging. Activities that qualified as risky included smoking marijuana, having multiple sexual partners, and smoking cigarettes (Wechsler, 923).

Consequences of binge drinking

Binge drinking is linked to and can be the cause of multiple health problems. Alcohol poisoning, liver damage, neurological damage, heart disease and stroke have all been linked as possible results to heavy drinking. Excess drinking can also result in the shutdown of the body’s organs and result in death (CDC).
One such incident occurred at Cornell University in New York. Sophomore, George Desdunes was pledging a fraternity, and was told to ingest large amounts of alcohol during an induction ritual. He drank so much alcohol that he vomited and eventually passed out. He was found dead the next morning. An autopsy revealed that Desdunes’ blood alcohol concentration was four times that of the legal limit (Kaminer). Desdunes’ death is not the only one caused by binge drinking. In fact, in a report from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, it was reported that roughly 1700 college students died from binge drinking in 2011(Lucier).
As well as resulting in personal bodily harm, binge drinking can also lead to harming other and engaging in criminal acts. Hundreds of thousands of people are injured, assaulted, or sexually abused by other students who have been drinking. Over 3 million college students who binge drink also drive while intoxicated, and about 5 percent of incidences involving college binge drinking lead to police involvement (College Drinking).

Preventing Binge Drinking

Wechsler’s study showed a huge correlation in binge drinking and engaging in college activities. However, colleges cannot simly cut out all the campus acivities and organizations that might lead to a higher risk of binge drinking. In fact the risks will always be present, but students and parents can work to prevent binge drinking. Methods for preventing binge drinking is for parents to speak with their children about drinking, to remain involved in their lives as they proceed to college, and to research campus alcohol policies. Student who suffer from alcoholism and binge drinking can usually cind resources on their college campuses, such as counseling and medical help.

Works Cited 

Analytical reflection