Alcohol Abuse In College

College can be a great time period in a person's life. For many, going off to college is the first step towards adulthood, and many are unsupervised for the first time in their lives. This not only imparts a significant amount of freedom, but also occasionally leads to bad decisions, as one of the most commonly associated items with college is drinking.

Alcohol advertising to college age students on college campuses has led to questions as to whether the industry sees college students as a targeted marketing group. About one-quarter of all college students report some negative academic consequences because of alcohol abuse, including missed class and poor grades.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, four out of every five college students drink alcohol, while half of those students who do drink engage in binge drinking. There can be series problems associated with excess drinking. Some 1825 college students die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries. Over 150,000 college students will develop an alcohol-related health problem, while about 1.5 percent will attempt suicide because of drinking or drug use.

Further, alcohol abuse in college can lead to violence. Almost 700,000 students annually report being assaulted by another student who has been drinking. Another 97,000 students are victims of sexual assault or rape because of excess drinking.