Binge Drinking in Colleges

To most people, binge drinking brings to mind a couple of days of heavily intoxicated drinking. However, to many physicians, binge drinking is defined as the consumption of five or more drinks in a row on at least one occasion. Some researchers have modified this definition to women to four or more drinks in a row on one occasion. Substance abuse by young adults, especially college students, is totally out of control. Within the general population, alcohol consumption and binge drinking have been found to be higher in ones younger years than at any other point in his/her life. Surveys suggest that over 80 percent of college students drink alcohol, and that 15-25 percent of college students participate in heavy or binge drinking. College students appear to have higher rates of binge drinking than other young adults, and rates of binge drinking among college students appear to be on the rise. Binge drinking in colleges across the nation has been brought to everyone's attention by the media. This has resulted in campus officials searching for solutions. Therefore, campus presidents have chosen to introduce Alcohol 101, reduce the availability of alcohol, give correct statistics, and build partnerships between colleges and their surrounding communities. Some contributing factors of binge drinking are the targeting of students by the alcohol industries, false or misleading statistics, and the raising of the legal drinking age to 21.…