The rates of college students binge drinking in the United States have fluctuated for the past years. As high as 40% of college students could now be considered alcoholics as defined by the next edition psychiatry's diagnostic manual but many would have only a mild problem which is intentionally for early treatment. Most college binge drinkers and drug users don't develop lifelong problems.
Social stigma
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reported in 2012, that more than 80% of college students drink alcohol, with estimated 40% report binge drinking in the past 2 weeks, and about 25% report having academic consequences because of their drinking. In comparison, the comparable figure of alcoholism for American Indian and Alaskan Native youth ("Native youth" hereafter) is approximately 80 percent (Beauvais, Oetting, & Wolf, 1989).
Factors
Individual and environmental factors for experiencing alcohol-related consequences have been identified such as drinking during high-risk periods, such as spring break, or belonging to specific student subgroups (e.g., Greek organizations). Drinking throughout high school also played a role, suggesting that binge drinking starts earlier than college for some.
See also
- Alcohol use among college students
- Alcohol advertising on college campuses
- American Indian alcoholism
- Cigarette smoking among college students
- Pregaming