{"id":463,"date":"2025-01-21T13:34:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T13:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mopip.org\/pip\/?page_id=463"},"modified":"2026-02-13T18:07:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T18:07:04","slug":"alcohol-and-high-risk-drinking","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mopip.org\/pip\/alcohol-and-high-risk-drinking\/","title":{"rendered":"Alcohol and High-Risk Drinking"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Beer<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Alcohol is the most commonly used substance among college students and most Missouri college students (60%) have consumed alcohol in the past year*.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many of these students drink in a healthy and safe way; however, there are a number of high-risk drinking behaviors that negatively affect college students. Compiled here are resources to help address different high-risk drinking behaviors. (*MACHB 2025).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

Scope<\/span><\/summary>
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National Data<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

  49.6% <\/strong><\/mark> of college students <\/strong>report drinking alcohol in the past month and 29.3% report binge drinking (a pattern of alcohol consumption that brings the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to .08% or more, typically consuming 4+ drinks for women or 5+ drinks for men in a 2-hour period in the past two weeks), according to 2023 data.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  14.5% <\/strong><\/mark> of college students <\/strong>meet the criteria for alcohol use disorder (AUD).1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Approximately  1,500 <\/mark> college students die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries<\/strong> (including motor vehicle crashes) each year.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About  696,000 <\/mark><\/strong> students are assaulted by another student<\/strong> who has been drinking.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Approximately  97,000 <\/mark><\/strong> students report experiencing alcohol-related sexual assault<\/strong>.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About  1 in 4 <\/mark> students report academic consequences from drinking<\/strong> (missed class, performing poorly on exams\/papers, lower grades overall).4<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Missouri Data – 2025 Missouri Assessment of College Health Behaviors (MACHB)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Approximately  20% <\/mark> of Missouri college students meet criteria for binge drinking<\/strong> (4+ drinks in 2 hours for women, 5+ drinks in 2 hours for men) in the past 2 weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 8% <\/strong><\/mark> of Missouri college students report being forced, pressured, or coerced into consuming more alcohol than they wanted<\/strong> at least once in the past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Missouri college students who drink report consequences from drinking including:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hangover<\/strong><\/td>Rode with non-sober driver<\/strong><\/td>Missed class<\/strong><\/td>Forced to drink more<\/strong><\/td>Hurt\/injured<\/strong><\/td>Low school performance<\/strong><\/td>Alcohol poisoning<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
35%<\/td>13%<\/td>11%<\/td>8%<\/td>9%<\/td>6%<\/td>1.8%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

49%<\/strong> <\/mark> of Missouri college students who are under the age of 21 report drinking in the past year<\/strong>…and  18%<\/strong> <\/mark> meet criteria for binge drinking in the past two weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students under 21 report that they obtain alcohol from:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

21+ friend<\/strong><\/td>Family member<\/strong><\/td>ID not checked<\/strong><\/td>Fake ID<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
24%<\/td>13%<\/td>6.7%<\/td>6.6%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Though it is never safe to drink and drive,  8.8% <\/strong><\/mark> of Missouri college students report driving after consuming alcohol<\/strong> in the past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*all Missouri data is from the MACHB 2025*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High-Risk Drinking Behaviors<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Binge Drinking:<\/strong> Binge drinking is a pattern of alcohol consumption that brings the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to .08% or more. This corresponds to 5+ drinks on a single occasion\/in 2 hours for men, and 4+ drinks for women on a single occasion\/in 2 hours. Binge drinking is associated with health problems and other issues including unintentional injury, violence including homicide, suicide, intimate partner violence and sexual assault, memory and learning problems, and alcohol dependence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heavy Episodic Drinking:<\/strong> For men, heavy drinking is defined as 15 or more drinks per week and for women, 8 or more drinks per week. It can also be defined as 5 or more binge drinking days per month. Heavy drinking can increase the risk of reproductive health issues and sexual function issues, certain kinds of cancer (especially mouth, throat, and liver cancers), heart disease, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Underage Drinking: <\/strong>Studies have shown that alcohol use by adolescents and young adults increases the risk of injury, alcohol dependency, risky sexual behavior, and poor performance in school. Brain development continues well into adulthood (around age 25) and repeated alcohol use may lead to impairment of brain function. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drinking and Driving:<\/strong> Alcohol use slows reaction time, impairs judgment, and causes loss of coordination. It is never safe to drive after consuming any alcohol. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol and Medications:<\/strong> Mixing alcohol and medicines can be harmful, even over the counter medicines. Drinking alcohol can intensify the effects of the medicine and individuals may experience negative side effects. The most common are drowsiness, dizziness, changes in heartbeat and blood pressure, liver\/stomach damage, and increased risk for overdose. Always read medication labels and avoid drinking alcohol after consuming any medications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol and Illicit Drugs:<\/strong> Combining alcohol and any illegal substance can be dangerous, and you cannot be 100% sure of what you are taking. Combining alcohol (a depressant) with a stimulant (such as cocaine) puts your central nervous system, respiratory system, and cardiovascular systems under pressure and can cause organ damage. Combining alcohol with another depressant (such as Xanax) and the effects can multiply, severely depressing your central nervous system and putting you at risk for overdose or death. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol Use Disorder<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is problem drinking that becomes severe enough to be given a medical diagnosis. AUD is a chronic relapsing brain disease characterized by compulsive alcohol use, loss of control over alcohol intake and a negative emotional state when not using (NIH, 2017). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Risk Factors for AUD include: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n