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Drinking is not the issue it is when it is excessive and putting students in danger. Death, injury, assault, sexual abuse, and unsafe sex are some of the consequences of binge drinking. College students are in denial because they do not realize that binge drinking is the root of many problems. "If the basics of K-12 education are the three R's--reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic--are the three V's of higher education vandalism, vomit, and violence?" (Angelo, 2004) Students who binge drink are going to be faced with severe consequences.

Binge drinking occurs when someone drinks five or more alcoholic drinks in one sitting. Over 40% of college students are binge drinking and many of them binge drink more than once a week. Binge drinkers are not only putting themselves in danger they are also putting non -drinkers at risk. "More than 500,000 college students are assaulted each year by someone who has been drinking" (Angelo, 2004). Over 60% of students are distracted by the parties on campus. Over, 70,000 students are victims of sexual assault. Over half of rape victims are drunk at the time of the attack. Many female students engage in unprotected sex which can lead to unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. "Colleges with large Greek systems and big, highly competitive intercollegiate athletic programs have the highest rates of student binge drinking, Wechsler says" ( Davis, 2004).

Many students drink so they can feel accepted by their peers. They feel like they have to get drunk to fit in. Fraternities and sororities are playing a big role in binge drinking. Many of them make their members drink until they are passed out which causes alcohol poisoning and other severe side effects. Alcohol poisoning is the most serious consequence of binge drinking. If a person consumes a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time then their brain becomes deprived of oxygen. Students are dying