Kyle Wiebers | Contributing Writer

You’re in a college classroom. It’s you and 24 other students. Statistically, 11 people in that room binge drank this past weekend, 12 others drank more than one alcoholic drink, and only 2 abstained from drinking alcohol during the weekend. If you’re like me, that first number is a little worrisome. Over 40% of people on a college campus engage in drinking behavior that is considered dangerous, and that’s not just one time, that’s each weekend.

Binge drinking isn’t a problem that originates in college, but rather that is exacerbated in college, with binge drinking behaviors increasing in frequency around the ages of 18-22. Of those 11 students in the class mentioned above 6-8 of those students will binge drink more than once a week. Humans are social beings, so it only makes sense that as social beings, humans drink more when in groups compared to isolation.

College students spend nearly $500 on alcohol a year, per student, and annually $5.5 billion on alcohol, which is more than students spend on textbooks, soda, coffee, juice, and milk combined. Is it possible that some students are dedicated more to their weekend plans than their future plans?

Binge drinking is something that is continuing to grow on college campuses. Is it the change of culture? Or is it the lack of education on high school and college campuses?

Graphic by Megan Snyder