Binge drinking rampant among Bruins of both sexes

Binge drinking rampant among Bruins of both sexes

By Matt Sorokotyazh

Ten percent of UCLA students suffer from alcoholism and over 30
percent of undergraduates have a drinking problem, UC officials
estimated. Such high usage makes alcohol the No. 2 drug on campus,
coming second only to caffeine, experts said.

Many students drink because their environment pressures them and
because they mistakenly think that other students consider drinking
cool, officials said.

Whereas three out of 10 UCLA students don’t drink, almost four
out of 10 would prefer not having alcohol at parties, according to
the 1994 Student Health Services survey results.

"(There are) students out there who go to parties, have a drink
or two, but don’t want to," said Lisa Garbutt, a Natural High
historian. Natural High, a student-run organization, aims to
provide an alternative environment for students who feel pressured
to drink, she explained.

A lot of students drink as a result of peer pressure, said
Leslie Damski, a substance abuse prevention coordinator. "At a
party, if you’re with no drink, you will be asked, ‘Are you having
a good time?’"

But others have found alternative ways to socialize.

More than 200 students turned out for the Halloween movie
marathon conducted last year by Natural High. More than 100 people
got involved in the Thanksgiving basket delivery project, she
continued. And Natural High organizes various sports events on a
regular basis.

But alcohol consumption remains a popular pastime among
students, according to the student health survey.

The survey determined that almost one third of UCLA
undergraduates binge drink ­ almost a half of males and one
quarter of females. Binge drinking is defined as four drinks per
occasion for females and five drinks for males, according to the
survey’s classification.

And experts said that false consensus ­ a phenomenon
characterized by individuals perceiving alcohol consumption to be
more popular than it is ­ plays a large role in student
drinking.

Most students judge themselves to be more conservative towards
drinking than their peers, the survey concluded. The majority of
students want to be like others, but the image of others is very
distorted, Damski explained. Students think that their peers
consider drinking cool, she continued. But the survey showed that
most students don’t really view drinking as cool.

"So many things you can do without alcohol," agreed Bobbie
Ugalat, a Peer Health Counselor.

"We’re not saying don’t drink, (instead) we’re putting on
activities where you can enjoy yourself and have a good time."

Drinking bears the responsibility for a wide range of problems
that affect students, officials said.

"The more you drink, the more problems you have," Damski said.
"You can become an alcoholic all on your own (without any genetic
predisposition). But you don’t have to be an alcoholic to have an
alcohol problem."

A dramatic difference in alcohol correlated behavior exists
between binge and non-binge drinkers, according to the survey.

Binge drinkers are six times more likely to have troubles with
authorities than non-binge drinkers. And a much higher percentage
of binge drinkers have been injured as a result of drinking,
according to the survey.

"(I saw) a gentleman fall down the stairs as a result of his
drinking. I saw his wounds, and he was in serious jeopardy," said
Eric Hunn, a third-year sociology student who doesn’t drink
himself. "(I know) people who have been grossly incapacitated, and
who have been unable to care for themselves (as a result of
drinking)." He said he knows someone who had to be taken to the
emergency room because of alcohol poisoning.

As a result of drinking, binge drinkers are four times more
likely to miss a class, the survey established.

While drunk driving among UCLA students has decreased, the same
trend is not exhibited by binge drinkers ­ more than a third
of whom have been driving when legally intoxicated, the survey
determined.

"I like hit something. Screwed up my car. And I probably should
not have been driving," confessed Michael Mcintosh, a third-year
English student.

Binge drinking has a tremendous impact on sexual behavior,
according to Damski.

Binge drinkers are eight times more likely than non-binge
drinkers to engage in sexual behavior with people they would not
have had sex with had they been sober.

Binge drinkers have sex without using contraceptives, she
continued. And the number of pregnancy and gonorrhea tests after
the spring break jumps substantially.

Binge drinkers have a much higher chance of blacking out, Damski
noted. To be blacked out is to be drunk and awake and not remember
later what had happened during the intoxication, she explained.
Blacking out is very dangerous and a sign of alcoholism, she
added.

"If you black out, you can get in fights, have sex with one,
two, three people and not remember, you might break something, get
into an accident," Damski said.

Alcohol is involved in the vast majority of rapes, including
cases where drunk men are raped by women, according to Damski. In
fact, almost nine out of 10 date rapes are alcohol-related, she
said.

The numbers reported by the survey for binge drinkers are lower
than the real numbers because the drinkers are less likely to
respond, Damski added.

Although usually students’ grades are conversely proportionate
to how much they drink, the generalization is not true of UCLA
students, most of whom are bright enough to compensate for their
drinking habits, Damski said.