21st Birthday Binge Drinking Extremely Common;
Can Pose Serious Health Hazards
May 20, 2008
The "21 for 21" ritual, where 21st birthday revelers attempt to down
21 alcoholic drinks, is highly prevalent among college students, according to
new research. In the largest study of its kind, researchers at the University of
Missouri determined that many college students drink to excess on their 21st
birthdays and potentially jeopardize their health.
The study will appear in the June issue of the Journal of Consulting and
Clinical Psychology, which is published by the American Psychological
Association. The data were collected from a larger study where students at one
university were followed for four years and asked questions about their drinking
behaviors.
For this portion of the online survey, 2,518 current and former college students
from one university responded to several questions. The participants had already
turned 21 and were asked whether they had drunk alcohol to celebrate turning 21,
and, if so, how much they had drunk and for how long. The researchers found that
excessive drinking on this particular birthday was common, with more than four
out of five participants reporting they had consumed some alcohol on their
birthday. Of those participants, 34 percent of men and 24 percent of women
reported consuming 21 drinks or more. The maximum for women was about 30 drinks,
while the maximum for men was about 50 drinks.
Based on the information the participants provided, the researchers estimated
the drinkers' blood alcohol content, reporting that 49 percent of men and 35
percent of women had estimated blood alcohol contents of 0.26 or higher, a level
that clearly indicates severe alcohol intoxication and could lead to dangerous
health problems such as disorientation, coma and even death. To put it in
context, an average size woman would have to drink anywhere between seven and
nine drinks per hour to attain a BAC of 0.26, while the average man would have
to drink between 10 and 12 drinks.
"This study provides the first empirical evidence that 21st birthday
drinking is a pervasive custom in which binge drinking is the norm," said
Patricia C. Rutledge, PhD, the study's lead author. "This research should
serve as evidence that there needs to be more public education about the dangers
of 21st birthday binge drinking. The risks here are not limited to those with a
history of problematic drinking, and there needs to be a strategy to address a
custom that can lead to alcohol poisoning and, possibly, death."
These findings may not apply to all college-age students in the United States.
The data in this study were obtained from a single Midwestern university and
most of the participants were white. Also, the authors suggest that future
studies should attempt to capture 21st birthday behavior as it's happening in
order to obtain more detailed results.
----------------------------
Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
----------------------------
Article: "21st
Birthday Drinking: Extremely Extreme," Patricia C. Rutledge, PhD,
University of Missouri - Columbia and Allegheny College; Aesoon Park, and
Kenneth J. Sher, PhD, University of Missouri - Columbia and the Midwest
Alcoholism Research Center; Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology,
Vol. 76, No. 03.
The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest
scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United
States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership
includes more than 148,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and
students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations
with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to
advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting
human welfare.
Source: Audrey Hamilton
American
Psychological Association
Medical News Today: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com
Back to News