Because we live in a college town, our focus today will be about binge drinking. According to a recent study by Harvard University, binge drinking decreased significantly across the country over the past four years, including college campuses.
James Hall, PhD, LISW, with University of Iowa Children's Hospital located in University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, talks about binge drinking:
What is considered 'binge' drinking?
Binge drinking is considered, for males, to have five or more drinks on one occasion; for females it's four or more drinks on one occasion, during the past 30 days. We get concerned about binge drinking because of:
- The likelihood of intoxication
- Driving while drunk
- Unplanned or unwanted sex
According to statistics, about 30 percent of adolescents have been binge drinking the last 30 days. The average is about 60 percent for 12 th graders, 40 percent for 10 th graders, and 20 percent for 8 th graders, so there's still significant use of alcohol for binge drinking.
What are the signs to look for in an adolescent or young adult who may be having a problem with alcohol?
I've counseled adolescents over the past 25 years who've had difficulty with alcohol and see:
- Changes in their health status
- Possible trouble with the law
- Not keeping up in school, grades dropping, even getting kicked out of school
- Financial problems trying to keep their drinking going
I think the key here is communication, if someone is concerned about alcohol use, to really talk to that person and express some concerns.
Are there steps friends can take if they feel their friend may have a problem with alcohol?
I think the key thing is the expression of concern. Other times I've found that linking people to a trusted adult in their community through a friendship network helps. We have services and counselors here at UI Hospitals and Clinics and local community programs like MECCA to help people that have significant problems with alcohol.
Is the purpose of binge drinking to get high/drunk - or can binge drinking be through the course of a day and not necessarily give the person a high or drunk?
Typically, binge drinking is one episode where it's concentrated drinking to get drunk during a short period of time. Usually when people are drinking throughout the day, they're going to have what they call a buzz during most of the day and I've seen a lot of adolescents and young adults who do that. They almost qualify for alcohol dependency or addiction, and that's more typical when you really have a major problem with alcohol. So, if person spreads drinking out over a day, feelings will vary and the blood alcohol level will go down about .01 point each hour. But you'll have some feelings of being high or drunk throughout the day if you continue to drink.
Do you agree that binge drinking among adolescents and college students is on the decline in Iowa City?
I don't think that, although we don't have good data here at The University of Iowa. The Provost just released an excellent study by our local researchers here at the University. There's not a trend included, it's just a one-time note about how many folks have been drinking. Here at The University of Iowa, about 70 percent have reported some sort of dangerous drinking during the past years. UI students are well above average as far as dangerous drinking or binge drinking compared to other areas, so we may not fit that downward trend.
Are there effective programs in place to reduce alcohol abuse in adolescents? What are they?
There are two ways to look at this. One is for the individual, they can seek help through a counselor, through MECCA, from the University Chemical Dependency Unit. But also we have to take a look at changing the culture drinking. There are groups like the Stepping Up Program that aims at reducing access to alcohol and changing access to bars in Iowa City and Johnson County. So I think you have to look at both ways--one, helping individuals reduce or eliminate their alcohol abuse and two, trying to change the culture side of drinking. |
