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The Daily Tar Heel

Binge Drinking on Campuses Remains Steady Despite Efforts

A study released last week revealed that binge drinking has not decreased on college campuses since similar studies were conducted in 1993 and 1997.

A steady 44 percent of college students stated that they binge drink. The study collected data from 119 four-year colleges to monitor national alcohol consumption rates.

The study was conducted by Henry Wechsler in the Harvard School of Public Health.

Toben Nelson, who worked on the project with Wechsler, said the atmosphere on college campuses has not significantly changed in the past eight years.

"There has been relatively no change in the rates of binge drinking," he said. "There has been a small increase in the level of frequent binge drinkers but also an increase in the number of people abstaining from alcohol."

Nelson said the study considered binge drinking as consuming five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women on three or more occasions in a two-week period.

Nelson said he was most surprised by the significant increase in binge drinking at women's colleges.

According to the study, 32 percent of students at women's colleges binge drank last year, compared to 24 percent in 1993.

Nelson emphasized a polarization in binge drinking.

"There is evidence that the few abstaining from alcohol is increasing, but also there is an increase in the number of frequent binge drinkers," he said.

The study also revealed that the percentage of high school drinkers has decreased, dropping from 34 percent in 1993 to 24 percent last year.

The percentage of college students requesting substance-free housing has also increased, according to the study.

The study showed that despite some positive trends, the percentage of student drinkers has not decreased.

Nelson said he did not foresee changes in binge drinking rates.

"Education, policy enforcement won't do the trick," he said. "There is always a batch of new students. Educating about the risks is not an effective way."

Nelson, instead, attributes the root of the problem to the easy access to alcohol.

"The ready supply is what drives this problem," he said. "The high rates of binge drinking correspond with lots of outlets for cheap alcohol. The evidence is pointing in the direction that the problem is with the stable, steady supply of alcohol."

Melissa Exum, UNC's dean of students, said binge drinking is a prevalent problem in the University community.

"It is an issue of grave concern for all of us," she said. "It can be problematic, not just to the participant, but it has an effect on the entire community."

Exum said the University is making a significant effort to educate people about the dangers of alcohol, as well as offering one-on-one counseling and treatment programs to address the issue.

She also pointed to Carolina After Dark as an organization that provides alternatives to drinking at night, such as Fall Fest and movies.

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"They try to target days that are high drinking days, according to what the students say," Exum said.

Erin Thornton, a senior at UNC, said that although she doesn't drink, most of the people she knows do.

"I definitely see its effects on campus," she said. "I think people come to college knowing they will get involved in drinking. I think if there were more opportunities to do other things, people would choose that as opposed to drinking."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.

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