A Bing Drinking Student is a Happier Student, Study Shows

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It should come as no surprise that college students who drink alcohol at parties and popular campus hangouts have fun. But are binge drinking students actually happier than their non-binge drinking pals? The surprising answer, according to a study conducted by the American Sociological Association, is “Yes.”  

During a survey of approximately 1,600 undergraduate students at a Northeastern liberal arts college, researchers not only established that binge drinkers are, indeed, happier, they also discovered why.  

In her report of the findings, Carolyn L. Hsu, co-author of the 2009 study and an associate professor of psychology at Colgate University, writes:

“Binge drinking is a symbolic proxy for high status in college…It’s what the most powerful, wealthy, and happy students on campus do. This may explain why it’s such a desirable activity. When lower status student binge drink, they may be trying to tap into the benefits and the social satisfaction that those kids from high status groups enjoy. And, our findings seem to indicate that, to some extent, they succeed.”

Hsu’s analysis seems to indicate that binge drinking among college students is spurred by a need to fit in with the “popular crowd.” Unfortunately, the tragic fact is that, for many binge drinkers, what they “fit into” are their own coffins. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) attributes 1,700 college student deaths to excessive drinking.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some of the dangers of binge drinking include:

·       Unintentional injuries such as falls, car crashes, burns, and drowning. (Binge drinkers are more likely to get behind the wheel of a car than casual drinkers.)

·       Intentional injuries such as gunshot wounds to self or others  

·       Alcohol poisoning which can lead to death

·       Neurological damage

·       Cardiovascular disease

·       Liver disease

·       Sexually transmitted diseases

And it doesn’t take much alcohol to accomplish these harmful, sometimes fatal effects. The NIAAA defines binge drinking as consuming four drinks for women and five drinks for men within a two hour period.

The full results of this study were presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in Denver and published online.

For more information on the dangers of binge drinking, please visit the websites of the NIAAA or the CDC. If you or someone you know is a binge drinker, get help. You could be saving a life.