# College Alcohol Consumption and Partying Concerns **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 30, 2017, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183 "2017-06-30T05:06:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2017, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/41 "2017-07-02T10:45:34Z")
> [@RealTalk](#): > > my GPA is average. By definition. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2017, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/42 "2017-07-02T16:35:08Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > A serious answer - > > Obviously the circumstance described would be abnormal and we can actually easily provide some [real context](https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics)of how abnormal such circumstance would be. > > Heavy alcohol use is defined as binge drinking on 5 or more days in the past month. Binge drinking is defined “as 5 or more alcoholic drinks for males or 4 or more alcoholic drinks for females on the same occasion (i.e., at the same time or within a couple of hours of each other) on at least 1 day in the past month.” Obviously by that definition what is described is much more than simple “heavy alcohol use.” > > Using those definitions: > So 87.5% of college students are not heavy drinkers. In fact 62.1% of them do not report a single bout of “binge drinking” in the past month. This in no way implies that the numbers who do is not of concern, but binge drinking regularly is not “normal” in college; it is more the exception. Heavy drinking, as defined above, a _much_ lower bar than the circumstance described as the op’s reality, is something the vast majority do not do. More of the same age group do in college than otherwise but it is still the exception. > > **Hector\_St\_Clare** ’s level is indeed quite on the high side for Americans. [Average](https://qz.com/171191/south-koreans-drink-twice-as-much-liquor-as-russians-and-more-than-four-times-as-much-as-americans/) for Americans is 3.3 shots/week. Russians get to the 6.3 and South Koreans … dang … 13.3 shots/week on average. So he’d find no shortage good drinking buddies there … the op’s described circumstance? Not common anywhere on the world and not normal for American college campuses. Maybe for a subset of rock stars or old time Wall Street wolves and few Hollywood types before we post threads mourning their losses. > > Yes such a circumstance would be insane. And that is just considering the alcohol use. > This [rum fruit cake recipe](http://www.food.com/recipe/nans-best-dark-fruitcake-3962) sounds delish but the ones I’ve used call for continuing to baste daily with rum for weeks. I don’t think those numbers are accurate, they diverge quite sharply (both in total number and in rank order of countries) from the ones in this list. (The WHO list from the Wikipedia link restricts itself to people 15+, so maybe that makes a difference). They have the top all dominated by East European countries, Korea is much further down the list, and the highest-consuming country, Belarus, consumes around the equivalent of 20 drinks / week. > **[List of countries by alcohol consumption per capita](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_consumption_per_capita)** > > The World Health Organization periodically publishes The Global Status Report on Alcohol: > Worldwide annual consumption in 2019 was equal to 5.5 litres of pure alcohol consumed per person aged 15 years or older. This is a decrease from the 5.7 litres in 2010. Distilled alcoholic beverages are the most consumed, followed by beer and wines. The regions with the highest consumption are the WHO European Region (9.2 litres) and the Region of the Americas (7.5 litres). > .mw-parser-output .static-row-n... That being said, none of it makes that much difference to the OP. Whether the highest consuming country in the world drinks 13 or 20 units per week, he’s still in a whole ballpark all on his own. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2017, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/43 "2017-07-02T17:24:51Z")
> [@Hector\_St\_Clare](#): > > I don’t think those numbers are accurate, they diverge quite sharply (both in total number and in rank order of countries) from the ones in this list. (The WHO list from the Wikipedia link restricts itself to people 15+, so maybe that makes a difference). They have the top all dominated by East European countries, Korea is much further down the list, and the highest-consuming country, Belarus, consumes around the equivalent of 20 drinks / week. > [List of countries by alcohol consumption per capita - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_consumption_per_capita) > > That being said, none of it makes that much difference to the OP. Whether the highest consuming country in the world drinks 13 or 20 units per week, he’s still in a whole ballpark all on his own. Indeed it is immaterial to the op’s described circumstance but still interesting. I suspect it does vary with age and how alcohol use is counted. I’d be more curious about the average use of those who do drink and the numbers who meet the criteria for “heavy drinking” as your described habits border on but do not quite hit (the CDC often uses 15 units/week for men rather than the 5 binges per month, and by either you are just below the edge). My understanding is that America has a fairly dimorphic drinking population - a relatively larger number of teetotalers and a fair number of those who drink at least somewhat heavily if not meeting the above definitions. My impression is that many other countries have higher average consumption and fewer who are “heavy drinkers” because a greater number drink moderately (e.g. rare or never binging and in general for men one or two units a day, and females one, max, several days a week) rather than teetotalers. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2017, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/44 "2017-07-02T18:05:35Z")
We had a name for people like the OP back in college… …designated driver. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2017, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/45 "2017-07-02T19:52:20Z")
Fuckin’ Slackers! ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2017, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/46 "2017-07-02T21:48:24Z")
> [@BobBitchin](#): > > I wouldn’t call you normal or insane. > But also lots people get fucked too. There’s a lot of crap that goes with the HARD PARTY. > > There will be fights > And underaged pussy > And drug dealers. > > So in my VERY EXPERIENCED opinion, you are subject to charges for > > Dui > Assault > Rape > Manslaughter > Murder > Distribution > Possession > > Blah blah blah. I would like to subscribe to your newsletter. > [@BobBitchin](#): > > Can you guess I’m old. I’m gonna be 49 next month. In my PARTY DAYS we referred to a FELONY PER DAY RATE.It was usually double digits. > > Remember everything you do while wasted is a potential felony. _Pfftt_ Maybe at a State school.🆒 Seriously though. Having gone to a snooty private party college for rich frat guys, there is certainly an element of truth to the “upper middle class party lifestyle” you see in film and TV. When you’re younger, fine. So long as you manage not to get yourself or anyone else killed or arrested. I used to party with lots of people, all who turned out ok. The thing is, there’s more to life than just getting fucked up with your friends. I didn’t see “a lot of fucking” in your weekly itinerary. I mean the whole point of me and my friends going out and getting drunk was to meet girls. Even if that is part of your routine. The one thing I would caution is that these habits can carry you into your 20s and beyond. And while you might not care now, do you imagine you want to be pushing 40 with nothing to show for it but getting fucked up every other night? I have some friends like that (we’re in our mid 40s) and it’s kind of sad to see. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2017, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/47 "2017-07-02T22:04:53Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Honestly, I am dubious of anyone having a weekly habit of nearly 200 beers and an 8 ball of coke being even semi-functional as an employee or college student . . . Right. But if **RealTalk** has graduated, then the OP title is disingenuous. This isn’t about “living a college lifestyle.” If so, then, according to the old trope, he would drop all that and start living like the rest of us now. The human body can only process alcohol at a certain rate, so anyone drinking that much basically is under its influence in one way or another 24/7. You might not be “buzzed” when you let up, but it’s still affecting your nervous system. If he’s really drinking that much, it seems like it’s nearly a constant daily intake to avoid acute withdrawal–and using coke to keep from passing out when the BAC is highest. I doubt such a high rate of consumption was something that just started up out of the blue, either. Usually it builds up. By this point, it could be that simply “dialing it back” might not be a very realistic prospect. Once someone starts drinking that much, they don’t really have much self-control. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2017, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/48 "2017-07-02T22:37:41Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > The thing is, there’s more to life than just getting fucked up with your friends. I didn’t see “a lot of fucking” in your weekly itinerary. I mean the whole point of me and my friends going out and getting drunk was to meet girls. If he and his friends really do drink that much, and do cocaine on top of it, they’re probably impotent. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/49 "2017-07-03T00:37:07Z")
Unhealthy? Yes. Although similar behavior combined with 2-pack-a-day habits was probably worse for me and my friend. Normal or abnormal? Somewhere in the middle. But I went to college at a fortunate time. Most drugs weren’t that strong that ODs were a serious concern; they happened but not a regularly as they do today. Drinking was big and we may have drank more but we were more steady 7am to midnight drinkers and the liver recovers in the years since. And as far as STDs went there wasn’t much around that caused more than a stern lecture from the doctor and a few shots or so. Mileage today may be very very different. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/50 "2017-07-03T00:54:34Z")
> [@](#): > > Female students tend to consume 4 drinks per week versus male students, who drink more than double the amount at 9 drinks a week. Persons become at-risk drinkers, or those most likely to become alcoholic, when the number of drinks per week climb. In at-risk women, the number of drinks per week is 7 per week; for men the number is 14. [Infographic: How Much Do College Students Drink? | Sobering Up](https://www.scramsystems.com/blog/2014/02/infographic-much-college-students-drink/) > [@](#): > > Prevalence of Heavy Alcohol Use: According to the 2015 NSDUH, 12.5 percent of college students ages 18–22 reported heavy alcohol use in the past month compared with 8.5 percent of other persons of the same age. > > Consequences—Researchers estimate that each year: > > \*1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor-vehicle crashes. > \*696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking. > \*97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report experiencing alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape. > \*Roughly 20 percent of college students meet the criteria for AUD. > \*About 1 in 4 college students report academic consequences from drinking, including missing class, falling behind in class, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall. [https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics](https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics) ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/51 "2017-07-03T01:50:35Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Right. > > But if **RealTalk** has graduated, then the OP title is disingenuous. This isn’t about “living a college lifestyle.” If so, then, according to the old trope, he would drop all that and start living like the rest of us now. > > The human body can only process alcohol at a certain rate, so anyone drinking that much basically is under its influence in one way or another 24/7. You might not be “buzzed” when you let up, but it’s still affecting your nervous system. If he’s really drinking that much, it seems like it’s nearly a constant daily intake to avoid acute withdrawal–and using coke to keep from passing out when the BAC is highest. > > I doubt such a high rate of consumption was something that just started up out of the blue, either. Usually it builds up. By this point, it could be that simply “dialing it back” might not be a very realistic prospect. Once someone starts drinking that much, they don’t really have much self-control. Look, if being drunk and coked up all day were easy, everyone would do it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/52 "2017-07-03T01:58:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **RealTalk** : > > I have a job but and currently doing this on a weekend basis. OK, this changes things. If you’re getting 180 drinks a week, _and it’s all on the weekend_, then the word to describe you is “corpse”. Anyone drinking that much over that short a period of time is dead. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/53 "2017-07-03T02:02:15Z")
Here’s a question for the OP. If you are drinking 8-10 beers in 2 hours just to “pre-game”, that’s about a gallon of carbonated liquid. How do you feel anything besides the urge to relieve your bladder before it explodes? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/54 "2017-07-03T02:08:48Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Here’s a question for the OP. > > If you are drinking 8-10 beers in 2 hours just to “pre-game”, that’s about a gallon of carbonated liquid. How do you feel anything besides the urge to relieve your bladder before it explodes? I don’t find that part unbelievable in the slightest. You just piss when you need to. I’m not sure I could do it now, but 8-10 beers (of the 12 oz canned variety) in two hours back when I would drink regularly would not be all that difficult to do while staying relatively “sober.” But even with that sort of experience, 180 beers a week seems completely off-the-charts inconceivable to me. Until the OP clarified, I thought they meant 180 beers a week consumed by the group as a whole, not per individual. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/55 "2017-07-03T02:10:20Z")
> [@RealTalk](#): > > Not speaking about my source of income, other than that it is different than what you think. > > I have a job but and currently doing this on a weekend basis. > [@Chronos](#): > > OK, this changes things. If you’re getting 180 drinks a week, _and it’s all on the weekend_, then the word to describe you is “corpse”. Anyone drinking that much over that short a period of time is dead. Ooooooh! Mysterious… And it’s not just 180 drinks on the weekend, it’s 180 drinks, an 8-ball of coke all while managing to hold down a job _and_ graduate with double degrees. I’ve heard enough. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/56 "2017-07-03T03:12:17Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Ooooooh! Mysterious… > > And it’s not just 180 drinks on the weekend, it’s 180 drinks, an 8-ball of coke all while managing to hold down a job _and_ graduate with double degrees. I’ve heard enough. I’m guessing trust fund baby! ---
**Author:** ![RealTalk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ec8ea/32.png) [@RealTalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealTalk)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/57 "2017-07-05T04:37:59Z")
To clarify things, this 5 month spree ended 3 weeks ago. Everything I said was accurate. Currently I am only drinking 6 beers a night (cmon thats not that bad) and a g of coke of weekends. However, my friends and I had a bad binder the last 3 days (for the 4th of July, God bless the USA), and the 15 of us (women and men) finished more than 1,200 and a few liquor handles and wine bottles. One friend was drinking 10 drinks (beer/liquor) an hour. Call is stupid but we made the best of it. Hell of a weekend! Anyways, I am surprised that not many people drink very heavily during the prime of their college life, or knew someone who has done so. I know you’re out there… Thanks for the replies and happy 4th! ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/58 "2017-07-05T04:43:11Z")
If these aren’t typos, you’re setting yourself up for a life of misery. Even if you stop using now, you have done irreversible damage to your body. Most people do not drink or use drugs the way you do. Like other people have said, the ones who do are very good at finding each other, so maybe that’s why you think so many people act that way. ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/59 "2017-07-05T04:46:20Z")
You mentioned college. Exactly when and how does that work get done? I am thinking either college has dumbed down a lot in the last 42 years or we attended completely different types of schools. I recall my college days as a lot of fucking hard work to do on a daily basis and not much let up on weekends. ---
**Author:** ![RealTalk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ec8ea/32.png) [@RealTalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealTalk)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183/60 "2017-07-05T04:55:06Z")
> [@davida03801](#): > > You mentioned college. Exactly when and how does that work get done? > > I am thinking either college has dumbed down a lot in the last 35 years or we attended completely different types of schools. I recall my college days as a lot of fucking hard work to do on a daily basis and not much let up on weekends. Dont worry about me handling college, me and you are wired differently. Yes i have done the work, very long and grueling work, spending nearly 10 hrs a day for days during test days. It shouldnt matter which school you attend and it wasnt online classes. I managed well with school and having fun. I doubled majored in Business Finance and I know the finance field very well, besides spending my money on alcohol and drugs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-alcohol-consumption-and-partying-concerns/790183.md?page=4)