Binge drinking among college students is directly linked to rape, according to a recent study.
The study, conducted by Harvard University, found a college's level of binge drinking to be the biggest factor in determining the risk a female community member can face in becoming a rape victim while intoxicated.
A survey of 684 students conducted by UNM's Campus Office for Substance Abuse Prevention last spring, showed that 37 percent of UNM students are binge drinkers. UNM's binge drinking level is considered medium-heavy, according to the study. The national average is 49.7 percent and is considered high-heavy.
The report found over three-fourths of UNM females who reported being raped were intoxicated when it happened.
Binge drinking, which is defined as five or more drinks in one sitting for men and four for women, is one of the biggest problems among UNM students, said Jill Yeagley, program manager for COSAP.
She said people's inhibitions are lowered while drinking and as a result, their ability to make informed decisions is impaired.
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About 24,000 college-aged women participated in the Harvard study. Data for their research were collected from three surveys over three years from 119 schools, including UNM.
Among others, factors like the level of binge drinking, campus location and campus type were analyzed in the study.
Sandrea Gonzales, director of UNM's Women's Resource Center, said more than 60 percent of the women she sees who report being sexually assaulted also said alcohol was involved.
"Women are usually embarrassed because they feel like since they were drinking, they feel like it was their responsibility and won't report it," Gonzales said.
She said education is crucial when dealing with alcohol and its relation to a person's judgment.
"If they choose to drink then they are going to have to realize that they may have to make some decisions about what is best for them - including whether they should go up to someone's room," she said.
Yeagley said a woman has to be careful when drinking because there are cases when guys purposely get a woman drunk so she is more likely to have sex with them. She said many times, they do not know whether they consented to any form of sexual activity.
"Whenever you're drinking to a point where you'll get intoxicated, the risk for all sorts of things goes up," she said.
Researchers responded to the survey saying schools should tackle both the drinking and rape problems.
The study's results also showed that being underage increased the odds for rape while intoxicated by 48 percent.
Danny Hernandez, president of the University Heights neighborhood association, said underage drinking has become a big problem in the UNM area, and the Harvard study is just one more reason to target underage drinkers.
"The pattern is there, and it is typical both of high school and college kids," he said. "We want to educate people that it isn't really smart to get drunk - the correlation with rape is just too obvious."
