<p>Galwain, can you provide a link to this study?</p>
<p>THURSDAY BUZZ: New Report Finds Half of College Students Binge Drink, Abuse Prescriptions and Illegal Drugs
March 15, 2007
Forty-nine percent of full time college students binge drink and/or abuse prescription and illegal drugs, according to Wasting the Best and the Brightest: Substance Abuse at Americas Colleges and Universities, a new report issued Wednesday by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.</p>
<p>The study found that 1.8 million full-time college students (22.9 percent) meet the medical criteria for substance abuse and dependence, two-and-one-half-times the 8.5 percent of the general population who meet these same criteria.</p>
<p>"College presidents, deans and trustees have facilitated a college culture of alcohol and drug abuse that is linked to poor student academic performance, depression, anxiety, suicide, property damage, vandalism, fights and a host of medical problems," Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASAs chairman and president and former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, said in a prepared statement. "By failing to become part of the solution, these Pontius Pilate presidents and parents, deans, trustees and alumni have become part of the problem. Their acceptance of a status quo of rampant alcohol and other drug abuse puts the best and the brightest--and the nations future--in harms way."</p>
<p>The report finds that from 1993 to 2005, there has been no real decline in the proportion of students who drink (70 to 68 percent) and binge drink (40 to 40 percent). However, the intensity of excessive drinking and rates of drug abuse have jumped sharply:</p>
<p>Between 1993 and 2001 the proportion of students who binge drink frequently is up 16 percent; who drink on 10 or more occasions in a month, up 25 percent; who get drunk at least three times a month, up 26 percent; and who drink to get drunk, up 21 percent.
Between 1993 and 2005, the proportion of students abusing prescription drugs increased: 343 percent for opioids like Percocet, Vicodin and OxyContin; 93 percent for abuse of stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall; 450 percent for tranquilizers like Xanax and Valium; and 225 percent for sedatives like Nembutal and Seconal.
Between 1993 and 2005, the proportion of students who use marijuana daily more than doubled to 310,000. The use of cocaine, heroin, and other illegal drugs (except marijuana) is up 52 percent to 636,000.
According to the report, the consequences of substance abuse on college campuses include:</p>
<p>1,717 deaths from unintentional alcohol-related injuries in 2001, up six percent from 1998;
A 38 percent increase from 1993 to 2001 in the proportion of students injured as a result of their own drinking;
A 21 percent increase from 2001 to 2005 in the average number of alcohol-related arrests per campus. In 2005, alcohol-related arrests constituted 83 percent of campus arrests;
97,000 students were victims of alcohol-related rape or sexual assaults in 2001;
696,000 students were assaulted by a student who had been binge drinking in 2001.
The major barrier to more effective prevention is the public perception that substance abuse by college students is a normal rite of passage, according to nearly 38 percent of college administrators surveyed by CASA.</p>
<p>CASA claims the 231-page reportthe result of more than four years of research, surveys, interviews and focus groupsis the most extensive examination ever undertaken of the substance abuse situation on the nations college campuses. Electronic copies of the full report can be downloaded from the CASA web site.</p>
<p>The report has received significant media coverage today, including:</p>
<p>College Drug Use, Binge Drinking Rise
USA Today (March 15, 2007)</p>
<p>Drug, Alcohol Abuse Worsens at Colleges
The Associated Press (The Cincinnati Inquirer)(March 15, 2007)</p>
<p>Binge Drinking and Drug Abuse a Problem on Campuses
Reuters (ABC News.com) (March 15, 2007)</p>
<p>Campus Booze, Drug Use Still on Rise
The Salt Lake Tribune (March 15, 2007)</p>
<p>Forty-Nine Percent of U.S. Students Binge Drink
Bloomburg.com (March 15, 2007)</p>
<p>Campus Substance Abuse Rampant
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette (March 15, 2007)</p>
<p>Heavy drinking is not something I'll be doing for 50K a year. I intend to make the most of these four years. It is a privelege to attend Dartmouth. I won't be doing it with a hangover.</p>
<p>galwain626, have you gotten accepted. I hope I get accepted. It's good to know there will be people like me at Dartmouth.</p>
<p>ajayc, I think you live in India. How do you know what goes on at Dartmouth and what doesn't?</p>
<p>Thx. I am accepted and am part of the class of 2011. I'm loooking forward to attending Dartmouth this fall. While I won't be preachy, I have no intention of drinking. I have other interests and plan to make every minute count.</p>
<p>bring your own substance</p>
<p>No - I'm not from India. I have visted Dartmouth and my limited understanding is from what I have read thru Dartmouth publications, CC, and talking to others who have gone there. I also have an older brother who has already gone thru college and know drinking is prevalent at every college campus. He didn't drink, got accepted into his first choice med school, and had a great undergard experience - after freshman year. At his school, the heaviest drinkers were freshman. His observation was they drank because they were depressed and it made it easier for them to "fit in" - or so they thought. They were usually the kids who changes majors early on - not from choice - but they weren't cutting it in their classes.</p>
<p>galwain626, if you're responding to my post, then that wasn't for you. That was actually for ajayc.</p>
<p>Tux, you're right - if someone doesn't want to drink, they don't have to. More importantly, if someone doesn't want to drink, they shouldn't be forced to - and Dartmouth is really good about both of these points. And, as it should be obvious, there are very real, undeniable consequences to being an alcoholic. Here's one that they don't teach you in health class, though - there are very real, undeniable consequences, both social and professional, to not drinking at all. Are these consequences anywhere close to the scale of being an alcoholic? Of course not. At the same time, in many of the professional fields that a huge number of Dartmouth students go into (business, law), there is very, very little advantage to not drinking at all, and there certainly is an advantage to being a social drinker. Think about it - if you're in a field where networking and interpersonal skills are key, then the better able you are to integrate yourself comfortably into a social scene, the better off you'll be.</p>
<p>It doesn't surprise me, galwain, that your brother didn't drink and went on to med school. Medicine, like most of the pure and applied sciences, is a technical field that doesn't rely on the ability to network NEARLY to the degree that business/law do. He was probably surrounded by like minded people - other technically brilliant people who were going into science fields. It wasn't very difficult for him to have a good time despite not drinking. If the majority of your friends are looking forward to careers in business or law, however, the pervasive culture of your social group is more party-oriented. It doesn't matter where you are - Harvard, Dartmouth, or a unknown local school - the "up-and-coming-I-banker" crowd always has a reputation for being a bunch of heavy partiers. As a med student, what you learn in your biology classes is important (at least to your mcat). As an econ or english or anthro major who'll be making 6 figures at 22, you don't need to actually LEARN anything - you just need to get decent grades and graduate. </p>
<p>If you're thinking about a career in these fields, not drinking puts you at a disadvantage. That's not to say you can't still choose to abstain - just understand that your choice comes with a cost. If you have a history of alcoholism in your family or another health condition (or if you're religiously opposed to alcohol), then the choice should be easy enough. If, on the other hand, the benefit you derive from abstaining is somewhat vague, arbitrary, or pointless, then at least be aware of the fact that you're losing something very real when you make that choice.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Tux, you're right - if someone doesn't want to drink, they don't have to. More importantly, if someone doesn't want to drink, they shouldn't be forced to - and Dartmouth is really good about both of these points. And, as it should be obvious, there are very real, undeniable consequences to being an alcoholic. Here's one that they don't teach you in health class, though - there are very real, undeniable consequences, both social and professional, to not drinking at all. Are these consequences anywhere close to the scale of being an alcoholic? Of course not. At the same time, in many of the professional fields that a huge number of Dartmouth students go into (business, law), there is very, very little advantage to not drinking at all, and there certainly is an advantage to being a social drinker. Think about it - if you're in a field where networking and interpersonal skills are key, then the better able you are to integrate yourself comfortably into a social scene, the better off you'll be.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I understand where you're coming from, but certainly isn't true for the entire world, although that's irrelevant given that we're talking about the West here.</p>
<p>I want to go into medicine, possibly do engineering sciences with biology at Dartmouth, so I guess I'm not really looking at the kind of a crowd you mention in the rest of your post.</p>
<p>
[quote]
If you're thinking about a career in these fields, not drinking puts you at a disadvantage. That's not to say you can't still choose to abstain - just understand that your choice comes with a cost. If you have a history of alcoholism in your family or another health condition (or if you're religiously opposed to alcohol), then the choice should be easy enough. If, on the other hand, the benefit you derive from abstaining is somewhat vague, arbitrary, or pointless, then at least be aware of the fact that you're losing something very real when you make that choice.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'm Muslim, and I haven't really been around alcohol as much. Almost all of my friends have been non-drinkers and practicing Muslims, be it liberal, moderates, or conservatives. I mean those are the people I hang out with. I can associate with them, relate to them and so on. I have no problem with making that choice. </p>
<p>Tell me this. Do you know any Muslims at the school? Is there any prejudice against them at Dartmouth? Do any of the ones you know drink?</p>
<p>
[quote]
there are very real, undeniable consequences, both social and professional, to not drinking at all. Are these consequences anywhere close to the scale of being an alcoholic? Of course not. At the same time, in many of the professional fields that a huge number of Dartmouth students go into (business, law), there is very, very little advantage to not drinking at all, and there certainly is an advantage to being a social drinker.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>For my 25+ years of work in corporate life @ a fortune 100 companyI disagree with this statement. If anything you will come across more situations where you are observed on how you handle your alcohol and too much drinking, even socially can be a professional kiss of death. I know many very successful attorneys and I-bankers who are non-drinkers and thier decision not to drink has not hurt them in their move up the corporate ladder.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Think about it - if you're in a field where networking and interpersonal skills are key, then the better able you are to integrate yourself comfortably into a social scene, the better off you'll be.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>As a non-drinker I have been in plenty of social functions with other professionals where we have gone out for drinks and have ordered, club soda, seltzer or a cola. While some people believe that drinking relaxes them your ability to integrate yourself comfortably into a social scene is not contigent upon drinking alcohol. Also because more companies are stepping away from holding events that involve drinking because of the liability to the corporation. For example; If a person becomes impaired after drinking at a corporate function and gets into an accident or does something to someone (making an inappropriate remarked that can be construed as sexual harrasment, hitting someone) the company is liable should a lawsuit ensue and the company can terminate the employee for his/her actions.</p>
<p>I know several Muslims -- many of whom are a part of Milan, the South Asian Organization. There's no prejudice that I know of. Some of them drink while others don't. You should check out Al-Nur, the Muslim organization, when you get here.</p>
<p>In general, a lot of Dartmouth students had little or no experience with drinking in high school. Some people decide not to drink at all while they are here, some embrace the drinking culture right away, and many decide to drink socially (just a couple of cups) after having having been on campus for awhile.</p>
<p>Hey Jen,</p>
<p>hope that you are having a wonderful summer. I agree that the drinking thing really wears off considerably after freshman year. As those on professional tracks know that they are not going to be able to do their best work while drunk and there tends to be more of a shift to becoming a social drinker (if someone still desires to drink). Those who continually get drunk probably should admit that they have a problem with alcohol. For the most part not even the ragiest of frats wants a sophomore who will be an embarrassment to the house.</p>
<p>
[quote]
If you're thinking about a career in these fields, not drinking puts you at a disadvantage.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>half-baked: I used to read your comments about drinking with amusement, thinking that they were tongue-in-cheek, but now I think you are serious. If so, you'll have a whole new education to gain when you get out of the basement and into the "real" world. I spent many years at at Fortune 15 company, and in finance and consulting, and lemme give you a hint: the 2-3 am report writing sessions aren't very productive with a hangover. The three-martini lunch days are long, long gone. </p>
<p>Not drinking may put one at a social disadvantage at D, but it will have zero impact on a career.</p>
<p>I've basically come to the conclusion that the drinking culture is present at every college. I can go for it if I want, and if I don't want it, then there are other things to do. </p>
<p>BigGreenJen, it's good to know that Muslims can go around freely at Dartmouth. I actually e-mailed Al-Nur two months ago, but I haven't received a response yet. I suppose that's to be expected because their website hasn't been updated in quite a while.</p>
<p>Tux08902 : The Dartmouth, CC and other online e-newspapers are my source. </p>
<p>And if you didnt notice I did mention that I might be wrong.</p>
<p>And come on no one is going to force you to drink!</p>
<p>Tux: I was wondering whether you dont like to drink or is it due to some religious thing?</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm Muslim, and I haven't really been around alcohol as much. Almost all of my friends have been non-drinkers and practicing Muslims, be it liberal, moderates, or conservatives. I mean those are the people I hang out with. I can associate with them, relate to them and so on. I have no problem with making that choice.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That's one reason, and the other is that I've always been the, I suppose, antithesis of what's popular. If drinking is popular, which it is, then I won't do it. I'll find something else to do. It's just who I am. I don't follow the crowd. Hey, if I did, I wouldn't be applying to Dartmouth. I'd be applying to UPenn or Cornell like many Ivy-hopefuls at my school almost always do.</p>
<p>Tux: I never meant that did I? I respect the fact that you don't drink and that you dont want to do 'stuff' that others are doing. I appreciate that. :)</p>
<p>btw are you applying to Dartmouth just because others are applying to Cornell and Upenn? :p</p>
<p>j/k ;)</p>