Binge drinking a common problem among college students

Binge drinking is the consumption of five or more alcoholic beverages in a short period of time. It is a dangerous practice that college-age students are participating in more and more frequently.

Although Utah is ranked lowest in the nation for college drinkers-16 percent according to a government survey-binge drinking can still be a problem.

Binge drinking can cause a person to miss class or work, ignore their responsibilities or engage in risky sexual behavior. There is also a chance of getting alcohol poisoning, which can have deadly consequences.

UVSC student Chris was 22 when he and his friends decided to throw a party. That night he drank vodka, beer, whiskey and other alcoholic drinks. "The next thing I remember, my friends had laid me out on the front lawn because I couldn't stop vomiting."

Later that night his friends, who were also highly intoxicated, laid him in bed. They put him on his side, which kept him from aspirating on his own vomit. "I was so drunk, I couldn't have moved to save my own life," he said. "I'm lucky nothing bad happened to me."

Others aren't as lucky. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University published a study earlier this year stating there were 1,717 deaths from unintentional alcohol related injuries among college students in 2001. That is a six percent increase from 1998.

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