Binge drinking, defined as the consumption of five or more drinks in a row on at least one occasion, is a widespread phenomenon on most college campuses. In a survey of students at 140 colleges by researchers from the Harvard University School of Public Health, 44% reported binge drinking (five or more drinks in a row for men, four or more for women during the past two weeks). Half of all males binged, compared with 39% of females. The study classified 19% of all students as "frequent binge drinkers" who binge three or more times in two weeks (23% of men and 17% of women). At almost one-third of the colleges surveyed, more than half of students reported binge drinking. This problem does not only interferes with the mission of a higher education but also carries with it serious risks of disease, i

The need to grow up quickly and feel adult can lead students to begin drinking when they are too young or uninformed to make effective decisions. Low self-esteem and feelings of personal inadequacy, feelings common among entering college freshmen, can also make students engage in dangerous activities.

“One night here at Berks, in fact it was in your room Pnut, I got alcohol poisoning in my freshman year,” Molina said. “I just lay on the floor passed out. My two friends and me ran around campus for a while until I began to feel really sick. I ended up puking the whole night and into the next day.

Most binge drinkers do not consider themselves to be problem drinkers, which adds to the difficulty in solving this college epidemic. They see binge drinking as merely a way to have a good time, but many are blind to the harm it can cause. Binge drinking has become an accepted part of the college experience for many students. Although there are other reasons a student may choose to binge drink, the influence of friends and the failure to exercise self-control are the main forces driving the need to consume alcohol to the point of physical harm.

Having a few drinks has become synonymous with having a good time. How many times do we hear the phrase, "I got wasted this weekend," spoken with humorous pride?

By changing students’ attitudes through indirect methods, we may reduce binge drinking. The key to curbing college alcohol abuse lies in changing the cultural meaning of drinking (Hamilton, 40). Instead of telling students to abstain from alcohol, we should inform them about how to drink responsibly.

There are a number of different causes behind the high rate of binge drinking on college campuses. The freedom of being away from home for the first time, the insecurity of a new social setting, and the stress put on students in their classes all play a huge role in out of control, excessive drinking.

Greek membership and living in Greek housing is the strongest single predictor of binge drinking. Rarely do fraternity and sorority members have a social activity when alcohol is not present. Alcohol plays a large part of the Greek socialization process. Greek members also believe that alcohol facilitates the brotherhood/sisterhood bonding process and enhances social activities (Wechsler, 1996). The social norms of Greek membership appear to greatly influence the attitudes and expectations of Greek members regarding alcohol use. Of the women who live in sorority houses, 80% are binge drinkers and of the men who live in fraternity houses, 86% are binge drinkers. Because of the alcohol abuse, residents of Greek housing report many more drinking-related problems than non-Greek students (Wechsler, 1996).

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