Another Study

[Kapsig1]

OK - here goes...and know full well that many of you will blast me for posting this, it's ok. I'm a big boy and can take it.

The reserachers, apparently at least partially federally funded, use the same 5 drink/4 drink binge rule (subject to debate, but meaningful nevertheless) as the Harvard studies. While some of us may be numbed to the 1,400 a year as "not much," if you've known any these men and women, as I have, it's way too many. It will be interesting to see the entire study.

Brad

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Drinking by college kids also linked to injuries, rapes, accidents
MSNBC.COM Alcohol Kills
MSNBC STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

April 9 — The consequences of college drinking are more destructive than commonly thought, suggests a new study that finds an estimated 1,400 students aged 18 to 24 are killed every year in alcohol-related accidents.

“HALF THE World Trade Center casualties are happening every year in our colleges,” said one researcher, Mark Goldman, a psychology professor at the University of South Florida.
The study, which the researchers call the most comprehensive look ever at the consequences of college drinking, also estimated it contributes to 500,000 injuries and 70,000 cases of sexual assault or date rape. And 400,000 students between 18 and 24 years old reported having had unprotected sex as a result of drinking.
Additionally, more than one-fourth of college students in that age group have driven while under the influence in the past year, the report said.
The researchers say the figures show that college drinking needs to seen as a major health concern.
“Historically, I think there has been the view that whatever college students are doing, it’s not that serious a problem, it’s a rite of passage,” said another researcher, Kenneth J. Sher, a psychology professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
The report was one of 24 studies commissioned by federally supported Task Force on College Drinking, a panel of college presidents, scientists and students convened by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The institute is part of the National Institutes of Health.
Most of the papers will be published in the forthcoming March issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol.
Researchers integrated various databases and survey results to reach their findings.
Motor vehicle fatalities were the most common form of alcohol-related deaths. The statistics included college students killed in car accidents if the students had alcohol in their blood, even if the level was below the legal limit.
Students who died in other alcohol-related accidents, such as falls and drownings, were included. Those who died as a result of homicides or suicides were not.
Chief researcher Ralph Hingson of the Boston University School of Public Health said he believes the estimates are more likely to be too conservative than overstated.
“I think actually getting the numbers out will help the public understand that this is a very large problem, perhaps a larger problem than people might have otherwise thought,” he said.

MANY JUST SAY NO
Though common on many campuses, alcohol abuse does not run rampant among all university students, the panel said. Previous studies have shown that most students drink moderately or abstain, with the proportion of teetotalers increasing from 15 percent to 19 percent from 1993 to 1999.
In general, drinking rates are highest among incoming freshmen, males, members of fraternities or sororities and athletes, the task force said. Students who attend two-year institutions, religious schools, commuter schools or predominantly or historically black colleges drink the least.
The big problem: Binge drinking, defined as five or more drinks in a row for men and at least four for women.
About 40 percent of students binge drink, according to background data in the report, about the same percentage as in the early 1990s.
And in a recent survey, about 20 percent of students reported bingeing more than three times in the last two weeks. That group accounts for nearly 70 percent of all the alcohol consumed by college students, the panel said.
“Although a minority of college students engage in high-risk drinking, [all] suffer its negative consequences,” said Reverend Edward Malloy, president of the University of Notre Dame and co-chair of the Task Force.
Hingson and other panelists say studies have shown what works - and what doesn’t - in deterring alcohol use.

What colleges can do

Among the steps that universities can take to create a healthy environment on campus:
Enforce existing age 21 laws on campus.
Help students understand that they have the right not to drink and to have negative feelings about its consequences.
Communicate alcohol policies to students and parents.
Limit the availability of alcohol on campus.
Use brief motivational interventions, such as giving feedback on students' personal drinking behavior and negative consequences.
Increase screening and outreach programs to identify students who could benefit from alcohol-related services.
Avoid educational efforts focused primarily on facts about alcohol and associated harm. They have proven to be ineffective.
Use educational interventions that provide new information such as informing students about drinking-and-driving laws and explaining how to care for peers who show signs of alcohol poisoning.

Goldman said general messages warning of the dangers of alcohol do not appear to be effective with college students, at least by themselves. What’s more effective is teaching students how to resist peer pressure.
“Many of the students don’t want to do it, but they don’t know how to say no,” he said.
Communities and colleges need to work together as well to prevent underage drinking and limit the number of stores that sell alcohol, he said.
“The university can’t do them by themselves because even if they did effective things, it might just squeeze it off into the community,” Goldman said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[Tom Earp]

Brad, While I know your figures are correct, let us all realize that young people get away from the Parental thumb for the first time and act like fools!

It is the Greeks that take the heat for many if not a large % of all of the drinking that goes on or the date rape drugs, or the drugs period!

It is amazing that News Media does not cover the GDI as much as they cover a member Greek Org. like they do!@!!!!!!!???

We as Adults cannot beginn to tell these young people what they should or should not do! Hell they wont listen, as they have to find out themselves, unfortunatly with disaster!

We and the Greek Orgs can only suggest how they handle them selves!

While we as adults can tell them do not go out to the woods and beat the hell out of a pledge,(Do You know where I am talking about?) We can advise. We cannot be Police People as much as we want to be! Yes We and all of the members of the site young and maturer now this it is a common thing!

I try to stop or suggest to My Brothers of my Chapter, here is the Problem, You are not KIDS, You are young adults! Dont Fuc* Your Life by being totally stupid!

I was tickled to death one time and road with th designated driver that night! It was a plan that they did on their own!

The DAMN KIDS MAY BE IGNORANT BUT NOT STUPID!

Tell me NO I WILL DO JUST TO SPITE

[33girl]

Originally posted by Kapsig1
Motor vehicle fatalities were the most common form of alcohol-related deaths. The statistics included college students killed in car accidents if the students had alcohol in their blood, even if the level was below the legal limit.

Huh?? So Joe 21 goes to a restaurant with his non-drinking girlfriend, has a delicious Rolling Rock, she drives home, they get killed by some random person who fell asleep at the wheel, and this is classified as an "alcohol-related death"??

GIGO, GIGO, GIGO.

[Kapsig1]

Originally posted by 33girl


Huh?? So Joe 21 goes to a restaurant with his non-drinking girlfriend, has a delicious Rolling Rock, she drives home, they get killed by some random person who fell asleep at the wheel, and this is classified as an "alcohol-related death"??

GIGO, GIGO, GIGO.

Yes, but the 19 year old pledge of my chapter who drank himself to a .28 BAC, out a shotgun in his mouth and ended his life doesn't. It's not a perfect world folks, the indication from the statistician was that it would "even out."

Brad

[shadokat]

And who let that happen Brad?!? Who let's a kid drink himself silly and put a gun in his mouth and kill himself? We all want to point the finger at drinking, and yes, I agree that drinking causes problems, but who the hell is looking out for each other here??? Did the brothers not know this was happening? Was he in his dorm room all alone getting totally whacked and then shot himself? If that is the case, this is a tragedy.

[Kapsig1]

Originally posted by shadokat
And who let that happen Brad?!? Who let's a kid drink himself silly and put a gun in his mouth and kill himself? We all want to point the finger at drinking, and yes, I agree that drinking causes problems, but who the hell is looking out for each other here??? Did the brothers not know this was happening? Was he in his dorm room all alone getting totally whacked and then shot himself? If that is the case, this is a tragedy.

You are indeed dead on right! First, I don't blame anyone. Did we see problems? Yes. Did we get him help, yes. But it still happened. Actually, he did it completely alone in his apartment. But we had been working with him and had intervened.

Who let him do it? He let himself do it - first and foremost. Today, the world tells us to look for someone to blame. HE DID IT - but I remain doubtful that he would have done it in the absence of intoxication.

Regardless, it's a tragedy. The anniversary of his death is my wedding anniversary. I'm reminded of it every year.

[DeltAlum]

"In general, drinking rates are highest among incoming freshmen, males, members of fraternities or sororities and athletes, the task force said. Students who attend two-year institutions, religious schools, commuter schools or predominantly or historically black colleges drink the least."

I would point out that at least this study does attribute heavy drinking to groups other than Greeks.

But, I'll place a mental bet right now that the other twenty-plus survey/paper/reports end up saying pretty much the same things...notably that Greeks drink more per capita than most other college students. And, at least in my opinion, it doesn't matter whether the definition of "binge drinking" is 5 or 10 or 23 beers in any hour, day or week. There has to be a standard set to work against. None will be perfect. (Please notice the word "opinion" above, and remember that -- I'm not saying that I'm presenting a fact)

So, fire away at Brad or whatever, but let me just aks this question: Does anyone really (honestly) believe that this is a media phenomenon? That Greeks don't drink more per capita than most (if not any) other group?

If you do, than I believe you're fooling yourself. Hell, many of us on GC spend a lot of time bragging about how wasted we were at last night's party or whatever. It's a badge of honor.

It's also dangerous.

[Kapsig1]

Originally posted by DeltAlum
"In general, drinking rates are highest among incoming freshmen, males, members of fraternities or sororities and athletes, the task force said. Students who attend two-year institutions, religious schools, commuter schools or predominantly or historically black colleges drink the least."

I would point out that at least this study does attribute heavy drinking to groups other than Greeks.

But, I'll place a mental bet right now that the other twenty-plus survey/paper/reports end up saying pretty much the same things...notably that Greeks drink more per capita than most other college students. And, at least in my opinion, it doesn't matter whether the definition of "binge drinking" is 5 or 10 or 23 beers in any hour, day or week. There has to be a standard set to work against. None will be perfect. (Please notice the word "opinion" above, and remember that -- I'm not saying that I'm presenting a fact)

So, fire away at Brad or whatever, but let me just aks this question: Does anyone really (honestly) believe that this is a media phenomenon? That Greeks don't drink more per capita than most (if not any) other group?

If you do, than I believe you're fooling yourself. Hell, many of us on GC spend a lot of time bragging about how wasted we were at last night's party or whatever. It's a badge of honor.

It's also dangerous.

I think DeltAlum should have been a Kappa Sig! What I mean to say is I WISH he were a Kappa Sigma helping me battle the cancers that are killing us. But, I'll just have to be glad that Kappa Sigma isn't going this alone, and perhaps there are some synergies that can occur.

I'll say this, without apology, we as greeks (especially men) drink as much as ANYONE. We seem to attract much more trouble when we drink than ANYONE.

DA is right, the "latest, greatest" drunk is a badge of honor in too many chapters.

Brad

[DeltAlum]

Thanks Brad,

I take that as a supreme compliment. Obviously, I'm proud to be a Delt, but I consider us all brothers and sisters in a diverse, but common, bond. I also consider it our collective responsibility to take the steps necessary to save the Greek System. No one person or organization can do it alone.

[FuzzieAlum]

When I was in college, here was what I saw: Most Greeks started drinking earlier in college than GDIs. That is, they started drinking their frosh year, while the GDIs were still saying, "Oh, no, drinking is stupid, I would never do that." By their senior year, some of the Greeks had gotten tired of hard-core drinking and moved on, while some had developed problems with alcohol. But in the meanwhile, around their junior year, the GDIs "discovered" alcohol. So, sure, more Greeks were drinking, in a way. (Of course, I realize this is an oversimplification and not everyone fits this description!)

[Tom Earp]

While I cannot say for certain, maybe Greeks Drink Harder than Independants or not,
Greeks are the more agressive and hardest working of any groups or individuals, of people on campus! Maybe they need to wind out a little!

Who does more for the School than Greeks? Without Greeks no homecoming as we know it! Think about it! Who as an individual donates more money back to his school than Greeks?

While I do not condone it , it gets out of or can get out of hand.

The reason we get so much bad PR, is beause it is just one individual as an Independent who may get drunk and drive and kill someone not a Member of a Greek Organization! If a member of a Greek Org. does, then it is a reflection on every member and the Name of the Fraternity and the Greeks as a whole!

What I see In the World today, the Greeks are the least of the worrys but what a Press Run for it!

NO disrespect Tom, (DTD)!

[DeltAlum]

Tom,

You know that you need not worry about "disrespect."

I am not offended in any way by your comments and arguments, and you know that I agree with your characterization of Greeks in terms of hard work, community spirit, leadership and philosophy.

However, Fraternal News, FRMT News and other publications just keep on reporting on more and more cases of alcohol poisoning, fatal falls, car accidents and other catastrophic happenings during and after Greek functions involving alcohol and/or hazing. These aren't make up stories and the people who are hurt or killed are real. They are also legimate news stories in these cases.

Tom, I know that you support efforts to eliminate hazing and other risk management issues.

Let's just say that, on this one small issue, we respectfully agree to disagree. That sometimes happens between brothers.

[James]

Ok, have I toltally lost my reason here or are is there a possible correlation between the amount of social opportunities there are to drink and the amount of fricking drinking?

So yes, I would waged good money that Fraternity and sorority members do drink more . . Why? Because we have more social events to drink at!

There is nothing intrinsically bad about the population we draw from, its just that people that drink will more likely drink more often if presented with the chances to do so . .. Hence the groups named tend to have more social events to drink at .. .

Sheez, everyone . . get a grip.

[DeltAlum]

James,

At least from my personal experience, your point is not valid. I drank quite a bit in college and probably drank more before pledging than after because I was too busy going to meetings and working, etc. after joining the Fraternity. We certainly had some great parties, but they weren't every night. Besides, paying dues gave me a lot less money to imbibe with, not being from a well to do family and supporting myself socially.

I had a lot more time to grab a couple of friends a head "uptown" to one of the many bars beforehand.

Again, my usual disclaimer -- that's only my experience and certainly not scientific in any way.