Recently, the Harvard University School of Public Health released a study on binge drinking among college students. Binge drinking has been a pervasive problem on college campuses for years. However, the drinking has normally been among fraternities and sororities, and the typical binge drinker has been male.
The 2001 survey states that the percentage of students who binge drink has remained constant — 44.4 percent of students participate in binge-drinking activities.
The survey defined binge drinking for males as five or more drinks, while for women it is four or more drinks. Frequent binge drinkers drink this amount at least three times in two weeks.
The survey has shown that binge drinking has fallen among residents of fraternity and sorority houses, but has risen on the campuses of women’s colleges.
In 1993, 83.4 percent of residents of fraternity and sorority houses participated in binge drinking, while in 2001 only 75.4 percent participated. Even though the percentage has fallen, fraternity and sorority houses are still the stronghold for binge drinking.
In 1993, binge drinking at women’s colleges was 24.5 percent, but in 2001 it rose to 32.1 percent. However, students at women’s schools still have a lower percentage of binge drinking than women at coed schools.
“If I was at an all women’s school I would drink because there would be too much estrogen in one place. The normal balance of male-female relations would be out-of-sync,” said University of Memphis freshman Wendy Laybourn.
The steady rise of binge drinking among women was alarming.
Dr. Andrew Meyers, chair of the U of M Psychology Department, believes the percentage growth directly stems from the new mentality of women and the changing view of women’s places in society.
“Women’s roles have been changing in our society. There has been a merging of roles of men and women. Men and women are behaving more alike,” Meyers said.
The price of alcohol has plummeted recently, which has aided students in their drinking efforts. Statistically speaking, the average cost of a movie ticket is $6.05 — but with the same amount of money, students can purchase five drafts beers at a bar, 24 drinks from a keg or 15 cans of beer.
“I haven’t been around anyone drinking, but I hear them joke in class about what they are going to do on vacation or at parties,” said Mechaela Langhorn, a U of M senior majoring in Spanish.
