Undergraduates drink heavily, survey discloses. (1991, December 22). The New York Times.

OVERVIEW

A drug raid, an alcohol-related driving fatality, a drowning of someone intoxicated, and complaints of sexual misconduct toward women under the influence of alcohol led the University of Virginia at Charlottesville to conduct a survey of 1,109 of 11,000 undergraduate students to determine student attitudes toward alcohol. The study reveals that

• 43% of respondents were classified as heavy drinkers (had drunk five or more alcoholic drinks in a row on at least one occasion in a two-week period).
• 40% of heavy drinkers had driven unsafely while using alcohol.
• 12% of non-heavy drinkers had driven unsafely.
• 18% of heavy drinkers said their drinking had caused them to get into trouble with the police.
• Over 50% of heavy drinkers said they had sex, while intoxicated, with someone they would not have if they had been sober.

Student groups at the University of Virginia, encouraged by administration, have established programs of peer education and counseling. This survey and its publicity were part of the attempt to curb alcohol abuse. Traditions such as "fourth year fifth" (seniors trying to drink a straight fifth of alcohol without passing out) are hard to discard. This year, despite student council condemnation, the custom persisted and three students were hospitalized for alcohol poisoning. Says student council president, Andre Morgan, "Unfortunately, UVA is still a party school. But a lot of students are starting to acknowledge that there are other alternatives to drinking at social occasions. There’s been a heightened awareness among students of the problems caused by alcohol use."

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. Is alcohol abuse a problem on all college campuses? Is there much more drinking in college than in high school? How much difference in alcohol use do you think is found on different campuses?
2. Why is this discussion important?
3. How much peer pressure is there to drink? Is it realistic for someone who does not drink to be socially accepted?
4. What do you consider to be safe or healthy alcoholic drinking? How many drinks and in what situations might an average-sized person imbibe?

IMPLICATIONS

1. Alcohol continues to be the main chemical of abuse among young people in America and around the world. It is a principal factor in a high percentage of fatal driving accidents, date rape, violence, and crime.
2. There are two very different responses to the issue of alcoholic drinking. The first is total abstinence (many favor this policy at the high school level). The other is a policy of safe, social drinking—with designated non-drinking drivers. These strategies need thorough discussion.
3. Too few families and youth groups have facilitated deep, honest discussions of this issue.
4. Problem drinkers must be identified and brought to appropriate programs.