According to the American College of Emergency Physicians, binge drinking is one of the most serious problems on college campuses today. Studies from www.studentmonitor.com show that alcohol abuse has always been the number one problem on college campuses.

Several students here at Buffalo State College admit to binge drinking.

One Buffalo State student said he started binge drinking this year. He said he binge drinks from Thursday to Sunday. As a result, he said that he has seen his grades decrease dramatically from his freshman year.

“I don't think that I am an alcoholic, I just drink a lot of alcohol the times that I do drink” he said. “Binge drinking has become the norm for me now.”

The student lives in the dorms here at Buffalo State. He has not sought any help because he does not think that he has a serious problem.

Ron George, a rehabilitation counselor at the Weigel Counseling Center says that this problem is very common. There are several students on this campus who binge drink, but will not admit to it though.

George said that approximately 15- 20 Buffalo State students have gone to the hospital, due to alcohol related problems, just this year alone.

“Binge drinking is a very serious issue on this campus,” George said.

Binge drinking is considered as consuming five or more drinks within two hours for a male and four or more drinks for a female . At this level of alcohol consumption the individuals who binge drink will have a blood alcohol level (BAL) of .08, which is considered to be legally drunk.

Students recognize binge drinking as a serious issue, but they do not understand the severity.

“Everybody binge drinks now and then, it's no big deal,” sophomore Sasha Smith said. “It's just a phase that college students go through and then they get over it.”

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) , some of the consequences of excessive college drinking are:

• Death: 1,400 college students die each year from alcohol-related problems.
• Injury: 500,000 students are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol.
• Assault: more than 600,000 students are assaulted by another student who has been drinking.
• Sexual abuse: more than 70,000 students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape.
• Unsafe sex: 400,000 students had unprotected sex and more than 100,000 students report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex.
• Academic problems: about 25 percent of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall.
• Health problems/suicide attempts: more than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem and between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use.
• Drunk driving: 2.1 million students drove under the influence of alcohol last year.

“ We are very fortunate that someone at Buffalo State has not died yet ,” said George.

According to George, students drink because of:

• boredom
• depression
• loneliness
• academic problems

George feels that Buffalo State could play a role in the prevention of binge drinking among the students.

“We need more activities on campus,” George said. “If there are more activities, then the students wouldn't have a reason to go out to the bars late at night.”

Some of the Websites that provide services for students who have concerns about binge drinking include:

www.samhsa.gov

www.ncadd.org

For more information about binge drinking, contact Ron George at (716) 878-4436 or email: georgera@buffalostate.edu

www.factsontap.org

www.intheknowzone.com/binge/what.htm

www.niaaa.nih.gov

www.cspinet.org/booze/collfact1.htm

www.teensarenotadisease.com

Email: MrDainty1225@aol.com