Last Updated on December 10, 2019 by Valarie Ward

Did you know about 90% of the alcohol consumed by youth under the age of 21 in the United States is while binge drinking?

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as consuming more than one drink in a short period of time (2 hours) that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above. For men, it may take about 5 drinks, and for women it takes about 4 drinks, depending on the amount of alcohol in the drink. The amount of time it takes to reach a .08 BAC level also depends on your age, height and weight. In youth and young adults, it may only take 2 drinks before their vision and judgement are impaired.

With easy access and peer pressure, it’s no wonder binge drinking among college students is so prevalent. These sobering stats will help you see why this is a problem that should not be overlooked:

Fact #1

48 Percent of college students said “drinking to get drunk” is an important reason for drinking. This explains why young students tend to binge drink as opposed to having one or two casual drinks. They want the feeling of being buzzed or tipsy, so they keep drinking until they do.

Fact #2

1,700, the number of college students annually who die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries

Fact #3.

23 Percent of college students reported driving after consuming 5 or more drinks, well over the legal driving limit of .08.

Fact #4

70% of all alcohol related deaths are caused by drivers who had a BAC level of .15 or higher, almost double the legal limit.

Fact #5

696,000, the number of students annually who are assaulted on or near campus by someone who has been drinking.

The Longterm Problem With Binge Drinking

Binge drinking is associated with many health problems, including:

• Unintentional injuries (e.g., car crashes, falls, burns, drowning)
• Intentional injuries (e.g., firearm injuries, sexual assault, domestic violence)
• Alcohol poisoning
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Unintended pregnancy
• High blood pressure, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases
• Liver disease
• Neurological damage
• Sexual dysfunction, and
• Poor control of diabetes.

Source: NESARC, Center for Science in the Public Interest, Gallup

Do you believe the problem with underage drinking and binge drinking can be prevented on college campuses? How?