Women try to drink like men, say new reports

By Jessica Alway

Drinking alcohol and going to college go hand-in-hand, at least according to the media's portrayal of rowdy college men. Movies like Animal House perpetuate the stereotype that men in college binge drink more than anyone else.

Recent reports, however, indicate that women are now catching up, with an increasing number trying to match their male counterparts drink-for-drink. While many see this trend as a greater equalization of the sexes, the health risks involved when women try to drink as much as men can be dangerous.

A 22-year-old college student told Time magazine in a recent report that to drink like a guy is a badge of honor, for her it is a "feminism thing."

The report also stated that at a hospital near the University of Vermont, the average blood alcohol level of women admitted for alcohol-related reasons is now .1 to .2 percent higher than that of intoxicated men, and more than twice the legal limit of .08 percent.

Binge drinking, defined as five drinks for men in one sitting and four drinks for women, is on the rise on most college campuses around the nation.

About 50 percent of U.S. male college students and 40 percent of female college students engaged in binge drinking two weeks prior to answering the questions, according to a survey completed by the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention.

Based on environmental factors alone, Santa Clara students should be at high risk for binge drinking, according to Michelle Helms, a nurse practitioner at the Cowell Health Center and coordinator of the student EMT program.

"Our environment encourages binge drinking for two reasons," Helms said. "First, there are no clubs or bars around the area for students to visit and secondly, the police department tends to crash parties fairly early. This pushes students to drink as much as they can as quick as they can wherever they can. They want to get that high as quickly as possible because the police will probably be there soon."

But Helms hasn't noticed an increase in the number of Santa Clara women in need of emergency aid. For the most part, she feels that the calls are about 50 percent for males, 50 percent for females.

Resident Director of the Graham complex, Jennifer Weller, said she thinks there has been a rise in the amount of alcohol students are consuming in general, but hasn't noticed any changes in the number of women coming to her for disciplinary action after documentation for alcohol.

"I probably see twice as many males for alcohol related write-ups," Weller said. "But that doesn't necessarily mean women on campus aren't drinking. They might just be doing so with more awareness of the potential consequences."

Laurie Lang, health coordinator for the Wellness Center, conducted a survey, which was completed last year by a random sampling of undergraduate students. The survey found that Santa Clara students not only drink less than their counterparts around the nation but also drink less often.

About 73 percent of women and 50 percent of men said they did not have four or more drinks in one sitting within the past two weeks. In fact, nearly 25 percent of the population reportedly completely abstaining from alcohol.

"I am trying to minimize the problem of excessive drinking on campus, I know that it happens," Lang said. "Undoubtedly more women are drinking now than 30 years ago, but let's not condemn all students. I think most students drink responsibly."

But just because some Santa Clara students are trying to be safe doesn't mean they are always successful.

The EMTs on campus received 33 alcohol related calls by the end of winter quarter last year. Of these, 18 were transported to the hospital, and all reported blood alcohol levels greatly exceeding the legal limit.

"The past has shown that our EMTs make the right choices," Helms said. "They can't predict how a person will metabolize alcohol and they shouldn't have to. If they see someone vomiting excessively then they are going to call for the ambulance."

However, not all students are grateful for the help. Helms said many students come back to see her the day after their trip to the hospital to complain.

"They say they weren't that drunk and now they have to pay the bill for the ambulance. Then we look at their charts and it always looks like they were pretty drunk after all," she said. "The highest blood alcohol level reported for Santa Clara was .328, most people are comatose at .30. This student, a female, came to complain that she had been much more drunk in the past and didn't need the ambulance."

Consuming such large amounts of alcohol can have lethal short-term and long-term possibilities.

Recent research shows that liquor corrodes women's bodies more quickly. As adults, women tend to develop liver disease 10 to 15 years earlier than men, even if they only consume a fraction of the amount of alcohol.

"Physiologically speaking women cannot consume the same amount of alcohol as men," Dr. Lauren Salacies of the Cowell Health Center, said. "As basic as it sounds, male and female bodies are just different. Certain factors, such as an increased fat-to-water ratio or lower levels of the enzyme which breaks down alcohol, in females make it easier for women to be intoxicated. Women need to understand that their bodies will react differently to alcohol than a man's."