STUDIES SHOW that many college students consume multiple drinks in a short period of time, leading to a variety of problems. Western Sun photo by Krystal Lynn Mutschler
By Krystal Lynn Mutschler
Western Sun associate editor
The percentage of college-age students who drink is decreasing with an eight percent drop since 2010, and the amount of time spent partying has dropped 13 percent since 2010, according to a survey conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies.
However, the number of deaths and injuries is still very high among college students.
“Students should be studying and not be out drinking,” said 20-year old Golden West College student Jose De La Cruz. “It causes them to eventually be tired, and to start to slack off in school, worrying about partying more than studying.”
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that about two out of every five college students reported binge drinking at least once in a two week period. Binge drinking is defined as the BAC, blood alcohol content, being 0.08 percent or higher. This is on average the consumption of five or more drinks for men, and four or more for women, in one sitting.
A recent survey involving 52 students at Golden West College found the numbers to be far higher than the national averages, though. According to the survey, 71 percent said they drink regularly and 46 percent of those that do are under the legal drinking age of 21. While few admitted to having any sort of drinking problem, 76 percent believe that they have friends who do.
These symptoms alone make learning difficult, and while GWC students reported regularly being hungover at school, 24 percent actually said they’ve been drunk at school.
With all of the warnings about drinking and driving, 16 percent of GWC students admitted to driving while buzzed or drunk, while 69 percent say that they have friends who drive buzzed or drunk. An estimated 1,700 college students, ages 18 to 24, die every year due to alcohol-related accidents.
Additionally, 599,000 students are injured while under the influence. More than 696,000 students are assaulted by another intoxicated student, while 97,000 students find themselves victims of sexual assaults or date rape by those under the influence.
Out of these statistics, about half of the students are under the legal drinking age of 21. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 30 percent of binge drinkers nationwide are college students, with 51 percent between the ages of 18 and 20.
