Binge Drinking: Teens and Binge Drinking

What is Binge Drinking?
Binge drinking is defined as "the consumption of five or more drinks in a row on at least one occasion." In national surveys (in the U.S.A.), about 1/3 of high school seniors and 45 percent of college students reported at least one occasion of binge drinking within the previous two weeks.

March 26, 2004: The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse reports that "More than five million high schoolers binge drink at least once a month." To this Floridian, who lives near one of the spring break hot spots, this comes as no great shock. I guess there are a lot of parents out there who are surprised by these numbers--but what were they doing when they were in college or when the drinking age was 18? How do you expect your kid to just say no, when you said yes not that long ago? Talk to your teenagers and be honest with them!--Amy, RN

While some national surveys have documented a significant decline in the use of other drugs by high school seniors and college-age youths, there have been only small declines in the numbers reporting binge drinking. Teenagers and young adults drink alcoholic beverages at about the same rates they did five years ago. Binge drinking increases the risk of alcohol-related injury--especially for young people, who often combine alcohol with other high-risk activities, such as impaired driving.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the four leading injury-related causes of death among youths under the age of 20 are moto-vehicle crashes, homicides, suicides and drowning. Alcohol is involved in many of these deaths.

Sexual encounters--with their risks of pregnancy, STDs and HIV exposure, as well as date rape and other violence--can and do occur more frequently while students are consuming large amounts of alcohol by binge drinking.

Binge drinking, or the partying lifestyle of young people, may be related to an environment that appears to support heavy drinking. Teenagers report that alcohol is more easily available to them today than it was five years ago, and there is a high correlation between availability and use. In addition, alcoholic beverages remain inexpensive in comparison to other beverages. Beer is especially cheap when purchased in kegs, which are often the centerpiece of a college party or even a teenage party.

A factor that may elevate the college setting as a high-risk environment for binge drinking is that youths on college campuses are targets of heavy marketing of alcoholic beverages. Beer companies are especially active in promoting to college students. Student newspapers and campus bulletin boards boast ads for happy hours with price reductions and other incentives that promote heavy drinking. Representatives of the alcohol industry, including producers, wholesalers and retailers, sponsor campus social, sporting and cultural events, even on campuses where the majority of participants are under the age of 21. If you are age 21 or over, drink responsibly--but you already know that, right?

Prevention Strategies
Prevention strategies in response to binge drinking by young people include actions to reduce alcohol availability, such as increases in price, and responsible beverage service practices, especially at parties. Some communities mandate keg tagging, which requires kegs to be labeled with a serial number identifying the purchaser in case the keg is discovered at an underage drinking party. Other strategies include restrictions on marketing and promotion practices that glamorize heavy drinking, especially those directed at young people.

If you are told a party you are going to will feature a keg (or a couple of them) and/or a bartender, and you are under the legal drinking age, you might want to consider going somewhere else that night. Think about the risks before you go. If you are of age, please designate a driver to drive that night. That person should not drink at all. It just might save a life.