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Freshmen
at high risk for binge drinking A study showing 1,400 college freshman students are killed each year in alcohol-related accidents should change the views of people who see drinking on campus as little more than a right of passage, researchers and university officials across the nation said Tuesday. The federally appointed Task Force on College Drinking estimated that drinking by college students contributes to 500,000 injuries and 70,000 cases of sexual assault or date rape. Angie Taylor, director of TCU’s Alcohol and Drug Center, said a number of factors contribute to the fact that freshman students are the group most at risk for binge drinking. “The new-found freedom freshmen feel because of the lack of parental control is a factor,” she said. “Another factor is freshmen wanting to fit in.” Taylor
said binge drinking is defined as consuming four or more drinks
in one sitting for women and five or more drinks in one sitting
for males. “(TCU is) right at 44.6 percent,” she said. “This means out of the 600 students surveyed, 44.6 percent consumed five or more drinks in the previous two weeks.” TCU has remained consistent through the past eight years in regard to binge or high risk drinking rates, Taylor said. “We have such a turnover,” she said. “By the time we get the word out that binge drinking is harmful and educate one freshman class, another class is getting ready to come in.” Taylor said the main idea for students, especially freshmen, to understand is that binge drinking is not the norm. “Many times the amount of drinking that students feel goes on in college is just not the case,” she said. “Yes, students do drink, but not nearly as much as freshmen may think.” Task force members said teaching students to resist peer pressure, strictly enforcing the drinking age and showing students how alcohol may interfere with academic goals are the best ways to prevent binge drinking. Angela Hancock, the substance abuse prevention coordinator for University of Texas at Arlington, said their university does not do a survey and thus has no national average. “We do a social norm survey on our campus,” she said. “We know that 33 percent of our students abstain from drinking altogether.” Hancock said the survey focuses on what types of students are drinking at the university and why. Sparkle Greenhaw, assistant director of the Alcohol and Drug Center, said there are many ways the center tries to educate students about the harmful effects of binge drinking. “We have alcohol education classes and we meet individually with students,” Greenhaw said. “Most students are sent to us because of alcohol violations, but some do come to us on their own.” She said the center averages 350 to 400 visits a year. Taylor said the consequences of binge drinking are serious. High risk drinking can lead to ulcers, an altering of a student’s ability to think clearly, social changes in students that make drinking a priority and other health risks, she said. “We have a motto that we tell students when we are teaching them life-saving tips in case they do engage in binge drinking,” she said. “Just because you are stupid, doesn’t mean you deserve to die.” The Associated Press contributed to this story. Marci
King
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