Are 49% of American college students binge drinkers?

Question

A Columbia University study claimed that 49% of American college students are binge drinkers - and 24% are alcoholics. Do you think that's true? Why do you think so many American students are alcoholics? And what can we do to change that behavior?

Answer 1

the stats are that low...huh.....lol.....well i definately think that american students have chronic drinking problems...which stem from a variety of daily issues.....men!....stress!....finals!.....peer pressure!...and well lets not forget that most students are finally away from their parents and pretty much can't handle the independance.....sobriety is not an option for these students....it's scary...because rape and other mishaps usually go hand in hand with inibriation....

Answer 2

People need jobs. Americans love to label and punish. Zero tolerance. Prisons are supposedly full of "alcoholics and addicts". Oodles of ppl work in this service industry and others, like rehab, medical, etc. To me an alkie must be so bad off that he has to have it or gets definite withdrawals from the addiction, therefore needing "detox". Now we can talk about "alcoholics". Otherwise s/he is a social, heavy, binge or problem drinker. I agree with Raysny.

Answer 3

Calling everyone who overindulges an alcoholic is just plain wrong. Stigmatizing people is no way for people to develop a healthy respect for themselves or learn to make proper choices.

The majority of people who over do it with alcohol are college-aged, whether or not they go to college. It's a time of experimentation and the vast majority, between 80 and 90% quit or learn to moderate on their own.

Until fairly recently, it was considered normal and the drinking age was 18. Criminalizing under-21 drinking does little more than turn decent kids into criminals. One of the lessons learned during Prohibition was that it was a bad idea to turn ordinary people into criminals by making ordinary actions illegal.

By making it illegal, it encourages binge drinking, which is more destructive. Thirty+ years age, when I was that age, colleges ofter had bars right on campus, it allowed kids to get a little high without leaving campus, safer for everyone.

Answer 4

Be carful to read the study completely, you may find the fuctional definition of "binge drinking" may be off. It is important to understand the process in which the information was gathered to understand what the results are showing. The people that put this survey together may be more interested in selling the story than accuracy.

Answer 5

I would tend to think so. Every picture I see of college parties has a beer bong in it.