Health Center: Alcohol & College Students

There are a variety of reasons why college students might choose to drink alcohol. Each person is different and likely has a unique set of reasons. Some people might drink alcohol to get to know people and to blow off steam. Others might use alcohol to cope with the pressures of college life or to manage feelings of loneliness, anxiety, or sadness. Why and how someone drinks can have an impact on their health and well-being. It’s important to know the possible risks and consequences of drinking alcohol in order to make the best choices for yourself.

Sometimes it feels like “everybody’s drinking all of the time.” Studies show this is not true. The heaviest drinkers generally represent a small portion of the community. A 2001 Harvard study was completed to examine alcohol use among college students[1]. In looking at the data, college students’ alcohol use can be approximated and broken down into 1/5’s.

*Binge drinking or High-risk drinking are terms used to define a particular style of drinking that 
dramatically increases the potential for risk. Binge drinking is typically defined as 5 or more drinks in a 
night for men and 4 or more drinks in a night for women.

When assessing how many drinks you have in a night, it’s important to remember that a single glass can often contain more than one standard drink, depending on the type of alcohol you’re drinking. For example, microbrews are often sold in 16oz. glasses that hold about 1.5 standard drinks, wine is typically sold in 25 oz (750 ml.) bottles that hold five standard drinks, and mixed drinks often contain 2, 3, and sometimes more shots of liquor.