National institute on Alcoholism & Alcohol Abuse, citing research that shows college students that abstain from drinking often do so because parents discussed alcohol and the consequences of abuse with then, urged parents to have those talks with their teens and college-bound children.
The first six weeks of freshman year are a vulnerable time for harmful and underage college drinking and for alcohol-related consequences because of student expectations and social pressures at the start of the academic year, NIAAA said. The coronavirus pandemic will create additional stress and uncertainty this fall, so support for students will be critical.
NIAAA noted that the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 52.5 percent of full-time college students ages 18 to 22 drank alcohol in the past month, and 33.0 percent engaged in binge drinking in the past month. NSDUH defines binge drinking as 5 or more drinks on an occasion for men and 4 or more drinks on an occasion for women.* In addition, 8.2 percent engaged in heavy alcohol use (defined by NSDUH as binge drinking on 5 or more days in the past month). These binge drinking and heavy alcohol use rates are both higher than for those not attending college.
NIAAA estimates that drinking by college students ages 18 to 24 contributes to an estimated 1,519 student deaths each year. In addition, there are an estimated 696,000 assaults by students who had been drinking and 97,000 cases of sexual assault or date rape each year, the agency said.