BINGE DRINKING
   Binge drinking is defined as consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in a row for males and four or more consecutive drinks for females.
   Alcohol is the drug of choice on today's college campuses. Former drug czar General Barry McCaffrey, speaking at an American Medical Association conference in May, 1998, said alcohol is ``the worst drug among adolescents from any standpoint."
   Alcohol kills more teenagers and young adults than all other drugs combined. It is a factor in the three leading causes of death among 15-to- 24-year-olds: accidents, homicides, and suicides. Alcohol is responsible for approximately one college student's death each weekend. Young people illegally consume almost 3.6 billion drinks annually or 10 million drinks daily.
   In a 1999 study by the Harvard School of Public Health, polling 14,000 students at 119 four-year colleges, researchers reported 23% of respondents were frequent binge drinkers (three or more times in a two-week period) which is up from 20% reported in 1993.  The binge drinking rate between 1993 and 1997 remains at 44%.
   A telephone survey of 600 college and non-college 17-to-24-year-olds in Michigan, commissioned by Ferris State University, revealed that 45% of the college students were binge drinkers while 27% of those not attending college were binge drinkers. Among the college students, 72% reported drinking the previous month while 51% of the non-college students drank the previous month. It was also reported that 78% had their first drink between the ages of 11 and 17. Other studies confirm these numbers.
   College binge drinking occurs more in males, students who live on campus, intercollegiate athletes, and members of fraternities and sororities.
   The effects of binge drinking are numerous including poor grades and academic failure, property damage, assaults, homicides, fatal injuries, car crashes, sexual assaults and date rapes, and alcohol-poisioning deaths.
   Binge drinkers are at high risk for hip failure 15 to 20 years later in comparison to moderate drinkers or abstainers. Cases of osteonecrosis (``dead bone") are being noted in youth who are binge drinkers.  It is suspected that this is the response of the bone marrow to excessive alcohol.
   Alcohol advertising affects young peoples' attitudes.  Students in grades 5 - 12 said alcohol advertising encourages them to drink.  Alcohol consumption rises as alcohol advertising increases. Youth-friendly ads encourage underage drinking, lead to binge drinking on college campuses, and result in life-time addictions. Youth are also being targeted aggressively by the alcohol industry on the Internet.
   A beer-friendly atmosphere exists on many college campuses which allows underage drinking and promotes cheap beer, often sold for only 25 cents a glass. The social norms on college campuses need to be changed.
   The alcohol industry is also heavily involved in sponsorships of various college events. The Secretary of Health and Human Services has requested that universities cut the ties between their athletic programs and the alcohol industry sponsorships.  Some are beginning to do so even though a significant amount of revenue will be lost.
   Parents do not believe, or do not want to believe, that their kids have a drinking problem.  Only 8% of those surveyed admitted the problem. Many adults are responsible for providing alcohol to teens and for setting an example of drinking rather than teaching their children about the inherent dangers of alcohol.
   The good news is that 19% of college students abstain; this is an increase from 15% in 1993. A survey of freshmen students, conducted at UCLA in 1999, reported beer drinking to be at its lowest level in 34 years with 50.7% reporting frequent or occasional drinking in the past year in comparison to 51.6% in 1998.
   In a national survey, Americans indicated they would support many policies aimed at curbing underage drinking. More than 89 percent would support restrictions on drinking on city streets, at parks., and on college campuses. More than 80 percent would restrict drinking at concerts and beaches, while 77 percent favored restrictions at sports stadiums.   The banning of billboard advertising was favored by 63 percent and 59 percent opposed the use of sports teams and athletes in ads.
   The belief that bars and stores are too lax in selling to underage drinkers is supported by 82 percent.  The same percentage also favor raising the taxes on alcohol and using the revenue to pay for alcohol prevention and treatment programs. Three-quarters favored ``zero-tolerance" for young drivers.
   At a National Symposium on Faculty organized by the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention, it was submitted that college faculties can have a significant impact on the reduction of alcohol and other drug use.  It was acknowledged that some faculty are reluctant to embrace prevention but it is vital to their success as teachers.  These are positive signs for reducing the losses incurred by alcohol use.
   On tbe other hand, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Beverage Control Association, among others, are providing funds for college programs to teach untenable concepts - ``responsible drinking" and to ``reduce irresponsible drinking."
   Total abstinence remains the best solution to the problem of alcohol!