¶ … College Binge Drinking and Violence
According to the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, binge drinking is a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration to 0.08 gram percent or above, and typically corresponds to consuming 5 or more drinks for males or 4 or more drinks for females within about a 2-hour period (College pp).
According to a 1999 Harvard University School of Public Health College Alcohol Study, of the 44% of U.S. college students who admitted to binge drinking during the two weeks before the survey, the majority were white, age 23 or younger, residents of a fraternity or sorority (Fact pp). More than 70,000 college students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape, while two-thirds report reckless behavior such as unprotected sex, unplanned sex, or driving while drunk (Binge pp). Alcohol poisoning is a severe and potentially fatal physical reaction to an alcohol overdose, and is the most serious consequence of binge drinking (Binge1 pp).
The Harvard study also revealed that frequent binge drinkers consume some two-thirds of all the alcohol college students drink, and account for three-fifths of the most serious alcohol related problems on campuses, such as vandalism, becoming injured, trouble with campus police, and driving while drunk, and according to another study of college students, alcohol was involved in 74% of sexual assaults (Heckman pp).
The consequences of binge drinking by college students is not limited to the drinkers themselves, for according to students who attended schools with high rates of heavy drinking experienced a greater number of secondhand effects, such as disruption of sleep or studies, property damage, and verbal, physical, or sexual violence, and moreover, residents of neighborhoods near colleges report higher rates of noise disruptions, property damage, and police visits than neighborhood surrounding schools with lower drinking rates and people who did not live near a college (Lee...
Other consequences of binge drinking include live and neurological problems, alcohol related suicides, the risk of sexually transmitted disease, crimes of violence, antisocial behavior, low academic performance, and related social dysfunctions (Dietrich pp). According to a recent study by the Core Institute, students who engage in binge drinking were over 3 times more likely to be victims of physical violence than were non-binge drinkers, and binge drinkers were more than twice as likely to have experienced forced sexual touching than non-binge drinkers and nearly 3 times more likely to have experienced unwanted sexual intercourse (Hensley pp). A 1996 survey showed that 20% of Americans aged 18-30 reported binge drinking, and according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 2,000 youth died in alcohol related car accidents in 1996 (AMA pp)
Several alcohol-related campus fatalities have occurred in recent years, including a University of Michigan student who celebrated his 21st birthday by downing 20 shots in 10 minutes (Alcohol pp). Studies have reported that in the United States, alcohol has been involved in 98% of college rapes, 95% of violent crime on campus, two-thirds of college student suicides, increased incidences of traffic fatalities, unplanned sexual activity, physical and sexual assault, unintentional injuries, physical and cognitive impairment, and poor academic performance (Burton pp). According to some therapists, college men who are unsuccessful with women are more likely to indulge in binge drinking, they shift their focus to bonding with the guys (Profnet pp). Binge drinking is arguably the most important health issue among college students and is associated with several behavioral and health problems for both the binge drinker and those around them (Rodriguez pp). Alcohol is the major contributing factor behind most crimes of violence such as sexual assaults, aggravated batteries and fights, and is prevalent in lesser crimes such as panhandling, criminal damage to property…
