Students down 21 alcoholic drinks on their 21st birthday, and, according to the largest study of its kind, researchers at the University of Missouri determined that many students jeopardize their health -- and their lives.
Students
down 21 alcoholic drinks on their 21st birthday, and, according to the largest
study of its kind, researchers at the University of Missouri
determined that many students jeopardize their health -- and their lives.
"We
have to really sit up and take notice regarding this phenomenon. This is a
significant public health concern, and we need to attend to the ways in which
we can get a better message out there," said Suzy Gulliver, professor of
psychiatry and behavioral science at Texas A&M Health Science Center
College of Medicine, who was not involved with the study.
Interestingly,
women
engage in the practice almost as often as men, according to the study,
published in the June issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical
Psychology.
And
although the study didn't look at the health effects
of such behavior, deaths have been reported, said study lead author
Patricia Rutledge, an associate professor of psychology at Allegheny College in
Meadville, Pa., who conducted the research while a research professor at the
University of Missouri.
"We
have reports of people dying from this going back several years," said
Rutledge. "One young man, Brad, who died on his 21st birthday, consumed 21
shots in under 24 hours."
Three
previous studies had looked at the ritual, but all were much smaller than the
new study, Rutledge said.
For
the new study, the researchers sampled 2,518 students, all of whom had already
turned 21, at the University of Missouri in Columbia.
Eighty-three
percent of the students said they'd consumed alcohol to celebrate this milestone
birthday, and many said they had consumed excessive amounts of alcohol. Twelve
percent of men and women reported consuming exactly 21 drinks, while an
additional 22 percent of males and 12 percent of females said they'd exceeded
that number.
Based
on the information supplied by the students, the researchers estimated that 49
percent of the men and 35 percent of the women had estimated blood alcohol
contents of 0.26 or higher, a level that could cause serious health problems
such as disorientation, coma and death. That means an average size woman would
have to drink between seven and nine drinks an hour to attain a blood
alcohol content of 0.26, and an average man would have to drink between 10
and 12 drinks, the researchers said.
"What
generally happens is that we are normally protected by alcohol when you pass
out before you get too drunk and get to the stage of death," said Dr.
Evaristo Akerele, vice president and director of medical and psychiatric
affairs at Phoenix House in New York
City. "What happens here is somebody keeps the
mouth open and keeps putting more and more alcohol so you override [the
tendency to pass out first]. It's potentially fatal."
Some
interventions for the problem already exist, Rutledge said. For instance, many
universities have instituted the "birthday card," which is sent out
before a student's 21st birthday and includes information on blood alcohol
content. But reports on the effectiveness of the birthday card have been mixed,
she said.
Said
Akerele: "The focus needs to be more on this age group. And more peers
need to be included in the process so they are aware of the dangers."
More information
Visit
B.R.A.D.21 (Be Responsible About
Drinking) for more information on this topic. The Web site was created in
memory of Bradley McCue, a MichiganStateUniversity
student who died of alcohol poisoning after celebrating his 21st birthday.
