Alcohol abuse sets dangerous pattern

By Megan O'Connor

During a Saturday night of partying at Santa Clara, a very intoxicated student, junior John Richardson, stumbled into a neighbor's house and stole all of the living room furniture. So drunk he cannot fully remember, Richardson then proceeded to break the furniture into pieces while consuming more alcohol and rocking out to heavy metal.

"I had drank a lotâ?¦ I mean, a lot, that night," said Richardson.

He estimates he had 15 to 18 drinks that Saturday.

Names of students have been changed to protect student privacy.

In fall 2006, 287 students were cited for violations of the university alcohol policy while 27 have cases still pending. During the same time period, 34 students needed medical attention for their drinking, and 17 of those students had to go to the hospital.

Alcohol abuse is considered such a problem at Santa Clara that in the first week of January, University President Paul Locatelli, S.J., instructed the Office of Student Life to increase sanctions for excessive and underage drinking.

Whether it is taking 21 shots to celebrate a twenty-first birthday or a night in the "drunk tank," college students across America sometimes behave recklessly while under the influence, doing things they might not consider while sober.

Senior Joseph Henderson recalls putting himself in danger after drinking two and a half bottles of wine, followed by eight pints of beer, in just a few hours of partying.

Henderson awoke the next morning in the hospital with no memory of how he got there.

While alcohol consumption has become a part of the college experience depicted in popular culture, and while many students drink to the point of intoxication, the question of when drinking becomes an addiction for students remains.

"Yes, it is likely that some heavy drinkers in college will become alcoholics. In fact, some are alcoholics while in college," said Marvin Seppala, MD, chief medical advisor of the Hazelden Foundation, an alcohol and drug rehabilitation center in Oregon.

Despite their regular alcohol consumption, when asked, neither Richardson nor Henderson knew the level of consumption that puts them at risk for alcoholism.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, more than five drinks per day or more than 15 drinks in a week constitutes a risk of alcohol abuse for men.

For women, the risk starts at over four drinks per day or more than eight drinks in a week.

Addiction to alcohol is characterized by the loss of control over consumption of alcohol, continued drinking despite adverse consequences, as well as chronicity relapse, according to Seppala.

In the United States, 15.4 percent of drinkers become alcoholics. Alcohol addiction is primarily measured by how one's life is altered by the use of alcohol over time, said Seppala.

Students are showing up to college with more experience with alcohol, said Duncan, when referencing data from The College Lifestyle and Attitude Survey, administered by the Office of Student Life to incoming freshmen. This could mean more students are at risk of developing alcoholism due to their early age of consumption.

Seniors Brent Dickinson and Brenda Hicks admit to drinking 10 drinks a night, an average of three nights a week. Both have doubled the amount for one to be at risk of alcohol addiction.

"I've gotten really sick a few timesâ?¦maybe even alcohol poisoning," said Dickinson.

A major difference between regular drinkers and alcoholics is non-alcoholics usually recognize a problem, while potential alcoholics put the problem aside and continue to drink, Seppala said.

Richardson admits to putting himself in dangerous situations while drinking to the point of blacking out, such as picking fights and getting into cars with drunk drivers.

Aside from bumps and bruises, Richardson says he often worries about the health risks of his heavy alcohol consumption.

While student drinking kills brain cells, losses only become substantial after years of heavy alcohol use.

However, students can experience liver and bone marrow damage due to heavy drinking, which is categorized as drinking between eight and 15 drinks a week.

Sudden abstinence from alcohol consumption does not save a heavy drinker from developing these problems later on in life. Withdrawal can occur if heavy drinkers suddenly stop drinking and can result in seizures, according to Seppala.

"The brain is not fully mature until after college, in the mid 20s, so it can be dramatically altered by alcohol and drugs prior to this age," said Seppala.

The long-term health effects of drinking heavily in college vary, but can include, hypertension, cancer, diabetes, infertility, sexual dysfunction, hepatitis, dementia, stroke and sleep disturbance.

According to Seppala, women are more susceptible than men to the physical harm inflicted by alcohol.

Dickinson, like many students, said he thinks his drinking habits will change once he graduates.

"I feel that once I'm out of the college environment, I won't drink as much or as frequently. Therefore, it's only one more year of this," he said.

Even if students change their drinking habits after college, it is likely that they could have already planted the seeds for medical problems later, said Seppala.

Contact Megan O'Connor at (408) 554-4546 or moconnor@scu.edu.