by Neelam Mehta
Daily Lobo
Four out of every 10 UNM students are binge drinkers, said Peter Nathan, a psychology professor at the University of Iowa.
Nathan gave the lecture "Binge Drinking at a Midwestern University: Implications for Prevention and Intervention" on Monday at Hodgin Hall.
He said the figure at UNM is high, but not when compared with other universities.
Nathan researched the epidemic of binge drinking from 1997 to 2001. He surveyed nearly 1,500 University of Iowa students about their drinking habits. He found that 92 percent of males and 79 percent of females were considered binge drinkers.
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The study's criteria for being a binge drinker include having five or more drinks on one occasion for males and four or more for females.
In addition, 19 percent of the students surveyed fit the criteria for frequent binging, which is excessive drinking three times or more in a two-week period.
The real issue Nathan said he wanted to address was the adverse physical, social and academic consequences binge drinking produces.
"UNM, like any other university, has a significant amount of students who drink heavily," said Jill Anne Yeagley, program manager of the UNM Campus Office of Substance Abuse Prevention. "That's a real concern, because there's a lot of consequences that come up when someone drinks excessively."
Besides hangovers, Nathan said there are a variety of other consequences resulting from binge drinking: 30 percent of binge drinkers miss class as a result, 20 percent engage in unplanned sexual activity, 8 percent engage in some form of property damage and 4 percent get in trouble with police.
It is through these statistics that Nathan said he wants to convey that collegiate drinking is more troublesome and widespread than anyone thinks.
According to his study, students under the age of 21 are far more likely to binge drink or drink at all. His research also found that students in fraternities and sororities drink about eight more alcoholic beverages a week than their non-Greek peers.
Nathan said the reasons for the problem of binge drinking stem from an alcohol-friendly culture, which usually begins in high school. Combined with generally apathetic parents and strong peer pressure, he said, the culture spells an epidemic among college students.
Many students surveyed cited a lack of other entertainment options as the reason they binge drink.
"The problem remains serious," Nathan said. "We need to continue our efforts. Students, parents and administrators are not aware of the terrible impact binge drinking has on students."
One of the most long-term and detrimental effects of binge drinking, Nathan said, is dropping out of college.
Nathan's studies suggest that about half of all non-returning students don't return because of alcohol-related issues.
"Alcohol is not benign," he said. "I'm hopeful that UNM will increase its efforts to bring to the attention of students and administration the extent of this problem."
