College Drinking Facts and Consequences

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, college drinking presents “significant health problems” impacting students across the country.  Underage drinking is rampant across campuses throughout the United States.  The vast majority of those surveyed stated that they had consumed alcohol within the past month.  Even more concerning most admitted to binge drinking within that same period.  The NIH considers binge drinking around 4 or more drinks for women and 5 drinks for men in a 2-hour period.

Alcohol abuse can have consequences for people at any age, but the college-aged demographic poses particular risks including an increased chance of sexual assault.  College drinking can also be fatal.  Underage drinking puts students at greater risk for motor vehicle crashes, assaults and unintentional injuries according to the report.

College drinking can also have unintended consequences for academic performance.  Surveyed students report that alcohol has affected their class attendance and overall grades.  College presents a new period of life for most young adults.  It may be one of the first times that they are living in an unsupervised environment.  Alcohol is widely available at most college campuses and underage drinking may not be aggressively enforced at all campuses.  These factors play a big role in college drinking and the consequences associated with it.

Underage and college drinking can have lifelong consequences.  Binge drinking can result in many adverse health conditions including alcohol poisoning in the short term and liver damage, depression and other long-term health problems.