Binge drinking tied to college culture

BOSTON, July 14 (UPI) -- Heavy alcohol consumption, or binge drinking, among U.S. college students is tied to the college drinking culture, researchers said.

The Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study -- a landmark study that surveyed more than 50,000 students at 120 colleges from 1993 to 2001 -- found heavy drinking behavior of students was more common in college environments that have a strong drinking culture.

A strong drinking culture involves few alcohol control policies on campus or in the surrounding community, weak enforcement of existing policies and alcohol made easily accessible through low prices, heavy marketing and special promotions.

Henry Wechsler of the Harvard School of Public Health and Toben Nelson of the University of Minnesota said the 14-year study found students who binge drink -- defined as five or more drinks in a row for males, and four or more drinks for females, on a single occasion in the past two weeks -- were more likely to experience academic difficulties, social conflict, risky sexual behavior, risky driving behavior, vandalism, injury and alcohol overdose.

The study, published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, found that binge drinkers were also more likely to engage in other risky behaviors such as tobacco and illicit drug use.