HHS HealthBeat (April 06, 2007)

Half the students

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

A study reports almost half of college students binge drink, abuse drugs, or both. The report found increases in things like drug abuse, especially in daily marijuana use and abuse of prescription drugs.

But the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University says the drug of choice is still alcohol. CASA chairman Joseph Califano:

"Alcohol is obviously a much bigger problem. Alcohol is really the big gorilla marauding our campuses today." (7 seconds)

The report, which was supported by the National Institutes of Health, says frequent binge drinking has been going up – and so has the proportion of students who drink to get drunk.

Califano says there’s plenty of blame to go around – including, he says, parents who pay for their kids’ spring break drinking, and even supply the alcohol at parties.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: April, 09 2007