Binge Drinking

Drunk to Death

When high school graduates fly from their parents' nest and soar to a college campus, life changes. They take their newly found independence, free from curfews and restrictions, and follow a new set of "house rules." Many students hit the party scene and experiment with drinking. Fraternity fiestas and sorority soirйes are notorious for drinking parties, and often times, these college parties invite binge drinking, which threatens colleges in every part of the world.

Statistics indicate that college drinking is down from a 10 years ago; however, several recent studies show that binge drinking, which is only five drinks in one sitting for men, four for women, remains a serious problem. Binge drinking is defined as drinking to get drunk.

Last year, a student at Cornell University fell down a gorge and died. At Michigan State University, a birthday celebration turned deadly after a student downed 24 shots of alcohol. A Pennsylvania State University student was found clinging to life on her 21st birthday. Her blood-alcohol level was nearly seven times the state's limit. While turning 21 means a night out celebrating with friends who are bellied up to the bar, the night can become a nightmare if people are just drinking to get drunk.

These students were no different the average college student. In 1993, 140 colleges participated in a national survey. More than 17,000 students responded to the survey. "Almost half of college students responding to the survey were binge drinkers" (Wechsler, Davenport, Dowdall, Moeykens, and Castillo 927). Also, 19 percent claimed to frequently binge drink.

Barret Seamen perfectly titled his essay "How Bingeing Became the New College Sport." In his essay he dates binge drinking back to the 14th century (2). Seaman even admits to drinking in the '60s when he was in college. So drinking a few drinks is not a new craze among college students. It is just getting out of control and causing health and behavioral problems.

"Frequent binge drinkers are more likely to experience serious health and other consequences of their drinking behavior than other students. Almost half of the frequent binge drinkers experienced five or more different drinking-related problems, including injuries and engaging in unplanned sex, since the beginning of the school year" (Wechsler, Davenport, Dowdall, Moeykens, and Castillo 927). Most binge drinkers deny the fact that they are problem drinkers and have not sought treatment for an alcohol problem.

Some binge drinking may lead to alcohol poisoning. The critical signs of alcohol poisoning include mental confusion, coma, unconsciousness, vomiting, slow or irregular breathing, and low body temperature. Many people think they can drink and then "sober up." Drinking black coffee, taking a cold shower, sleeping it off, or eating a big meal are all myths. The only "sobering up" method that works is time. If alcohol poisoning is a threat, time may not be in the budget. So the best practice is to drink in moderation and avoid bingeing.

Most college presidents will agree that drinking is the most serious problem on campus. Most colleges have rules about drinking, but binge drinking continues to be a problem. The best defense is education. Binge drinking kills. If anyone drinks four or five drinks, it