The Dangers of Excessive Alcohol Consumption for College Students

College is often viewed as a time of exploration, independence, and new experiences. For many students, this includes experimenting with alcohol. However, excessive alcohol consumption, particularly binge drinking, poses significant risks to the health, safety, and academic success of college students. This article explores the dangers of alcohol misuse on college campuses, its consequences, and strategies for prevention and intervention.

The Scope of the Problem

Harmful and underage college drinking are significant public health problems that take an enormous toll on the lives of students on campuses across the United States. Drinking at college has become a ritual that students may see as an integral part of their higher education experience. Some students come to college with established drinking habits, and the college environment can exacerbate the problem.

Researchers estimate that each year, 1,519 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor-vehicle crashes. Additionally, 696,000 students in the same age group are assaulted by another student who has been drinking. Although estimating the number of alcohol-related sexual assaults is exceptionally challenging, researchers have confirmed a long-standing finding that 1 in 5 college women experience sexual assault during their time in college, and a majority of these assaults involve alcohol or other substances.

A study led by Penn State University found that, on average, students experience an estimated total of 102 alcohol-related consequences, such as blacking out, being hung over, or missing work or school, due to drinking across their four years in college. The most common consequence, experienced at least once by 96.7% of respondents, was "having a hangover the morning after drinking." This was followed by "saying or doing embarrassing things," which affected 96.1% of respondents at least once.

Furthermore, a national survey of over 1,900 students at 46 colleges and universities across the United States revealed that more than half of college sophomores and juniors-an estimated six million students-reported experiencing at least one alcohol-related harm caused by others. The most commonly reported harm was babysitting drinkers (33.8%), followed by social harms, such as physical or psychological distress (23.5%), sleep or study disruptions (15%), and verbal harassment (14.3%).

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Understanding Binge Drinking

Many college alcohol problems are related to binge drinking, which the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines as a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08% or higher. For a typical adult, this corresponds to consuming five or more drinks (male) or four or more drinks (female) in about two hours.

In the United States, a "standard drink" is defined as any beverage containing 0.6 fl oz or 14 grams of pure alcohol. This is equivalent to:

1. 0 oz of beer with about 5% alcohol content
1. 0 oz of wine with about 12% alcohol content
1. 5 oz of distilled spirits (e.g., gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and whiskey) with about 40% alcohol content

However, it's important to note that customary serving sizes often exceed these standard drink amounts. A large cup of beer, an overpoured glass of wine, or a single mixed drink could contain much more alcohol than a standard drink.

Factors Contributing to Student Drinking

Several factors contribute to excessive alcohol consumption among college students. While some students arrive at college with prior drinking experience, certain aspects of college life can exacerbate the problem. These include:

Unstructured time
Widespread availability of alcohol
Inconsistent enforcement of underage drinking laws
Limited interactions with parents and other adults

The first six weeks of freshman year are particularly vulnerable, as students face new social pressures and expectations at the start of the academic year.

Specific college environments also play a role. Students attending schools with strong Greek systems or prominent athletic programs tend to drink more. Alcohol consumption is highest among students living in fraternities and sororities and lowest among commuting students who live with their families.

The influence of parents should not be overlooked. Research indicates that students who choose not to drink often do so because their parents discussed alcohol use and its adverse consequences with them.

Consequences of Alcohol Misuse

Alcohol misuse, particularly binge drinking, can lead to a range of serious health and safety risks, including:

Property damage
Car crashes
Drunk-driving arrests
Sexual assaults
Violence
Injuries
Death

Over the long term, frequent binge drinking can damage the liver and other organs and increase the risk of suicide, mental health conditions, and alcohol use disorder. Studies also suggest that alcohol misuse and binge alcohol consumption have a negative impact on academic performance.

Specific Consequences:

Injuries: Binge drinking leads to accidental injuries, including motor-vehicle crashes, falls, burns, and drowning. It can also cause the body temperature to drop to an abnormally low level, especially during winter months.
Increased Risk of Harmful Behaviors: Binge drinkers have a greater risk of killing someone, suicide, unsafe sex, sexually transmitted infections, and driving under the influence of alcohol. They are also more likely to be involved with the police.
Alcohol Poisoning: Each year, thousands of college students end up in the emergency room because of alcohol poisoning. This occurs when heavy alcohol use affects the central nervous system, slowing breathing and heart rate and interfering with the gag reflex. Symptoms include confusion, vomiting, seizures, pale skin, and unconsciousness. Alcohol poisoning is a medical emergency that can lead to brain damage or death.
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD): Young people who often engage in binge drinking are more likely to develop a drinking problem. About 20% of college students fit the pattern of having alcohol use disorder, characterized by problems such as not following through on major responsibilities, drinking in dangerous situations, and continued drinking despite problems with friends or family.
Alcoholism: Alcoholism is a more severe form of AUD, marked by craving, loss of control, and tolerance. People with severe AUD often need outside help to stop drinking.
Impact on Brain Development: Most college students who binge drink still have developing brains, which can last through age 21 to age 25. This makes them more vulnerable to the harmful effects of alcohol, affecting judgment and control.

Addressing College Drinking

Successful efforts to address harmful and underage student drinking typically involve a mix of strategies that target individual students, the student body as a whole, and the broader college community.

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Strategies Targeting Individual Students

Individual-level interventions aim to change student knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to alcohol. These interventions are designed to help students drink less, take fewer risks, and experience fewer harmful consequences. Categories of individual-level interventions include:

Education and awareness programs
Cognitive-behavioral skills-based approaches
Motivation and feedback-related approaches
Behavioral interventions by health professionals

Strategies Targeting the Campus and Surrounding Community

Environmental-level strategies target the campus community and student body as a whole. They are designed to change the campus and community environments where student drinking occurs. A major goal is to reduce the availability of alcohol, as research shows that this reduces consumption and harmful consequences. Examples of environmental-level strategies include:

Place-based initiatives that reduce alcohol consumption in university housing
Targeted interventions with members of Greek life and student athletes
Greater use of evidence-based strategies to reduce and prevent alcohol consumption, including screening with personalized and normative feedback, limits on happy hours and drink-price discounting, and raising state alcohol taxes

CollegeAIM

CollegeAIM, revised and updated in 2020, rates more than 60 alcohol interventions for effectiveness, cost, and other factors. This resource helps college officials analyze alcohol problems at their schools and find the best combination of interventions for their students and unique circumstances. In general, the most effective interventions in CollegeAIM represent a range of counseling options and policies related to sales and access.

The Accumulation of Consequences

Research has shown that college students may continue drinking in the face of adverse consequences. Certain drinking-related consequences, such as blackouts and regretted sexual experiences, consistently predict continued frequent heavy drinking in the following semester. Furthermore, consequences are accumulated over multiple semesters by a notable proportion of students. For example, a significant percentage of students reported blacking out multiple times throughout their college careers.

This accumulation of consequences may be due to various factors, including:

College-related beliefs, norms, or expectancies
Social norms, expectancies, and social reinforcement of pathological processes
Early-stage alcohol use disorders

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