Younger college students drink more, survey finds
Washington (AP) - 5/20/93

College students under 21 drink more alcohol and suffer more hangovers; injuries and legal difficulties than those who are over 21, researchers reported today.

The study, based on a survey of about 58,000 students, also found that those in the Northeast drink more and go on binges more often than their peers in other parts of the country.

Researchers from Southern IL University and the College of William & Mary analyzed survey results collected at 78 campuses between 1989-91.

Initial findings released in September, showed that students with low grades consume about three times as many drinks as those on the honor roll.

That first round also found that students at small schools are drinking more than those at larger schools, and men are more likely than women to go on heavy binges.

The report, based on the largest survey of college students, is intended to help campus leaders understand the frequency of drug and alcohol use as they design programs to combat substance abuse.

And it showed alcohol is the drug of choice: 85% of respondents said they used it in the last year, compared with 26% who used marijuana and 5% each for cocaine, hallucinogens and amphetamines.

In the latest findings, researchers focused on underage drinking and regional patterns of substance abuse.

"Underage drinkers aren't as careful and don't handle alcohol as well as older students. This has serious consequences and needs to be addressed," said Philip W. Meilman, the study's co-author and director of William and Mary's Counseling Center.

The study found 86% of college students under 21 drank alcohol during the year, compared with about 84% of other students. Sales of alcoholic beverages to people under the age of 21 are unlawful throughout the nation.

The average number of alcoholic drinks consumed per week among students under 21 was 5.5, compared with 4.2 for older students.

About 48% of the younger students reported bingeing, consuming 5 or more drinks in one sitting, during the 2 weeks before the survey, researchers said. That compared with 35% for students over 21.

Moreover, alcohol and drug use led to twice as many injuries, fights, arguments, incidents of vandalism and run-ins with authorities by the younger abusers, the study found.

They also were twice as likely to have been the victims of sexual misconduct or to have taken sexual advantage of others, according to the report.

Students under 21 suffered more hangovers, nausea, memory loss, poor test scores and suicidal thoughts or actions, researchers said.

In the regional data, the per capita alcohol consumption ranked at 7.1 drinks per week in the Northeast, 5.3 in the North Central, 3.9 in the South and 2.9 in the West.

Fifty-three percent of the Northeast students said they had gone binge drinking in the two-week period before the survey, compared with 46% in the North Central region, 35% in the South and 29% in the West.

The Northeast shows the greatest alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and hallucinogen use. The West is lowest in alcohol and tobacco, while the West and Northeast are highest in cocaine use. The South shows the highest amphetamine use.