A Bad Hair Day!

A New Hair Cut

My "Little Girl" Honey

Statistical Snapshot of College Drinking

The following information is from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

The consequences of excessive and underage drinking affect virtually all college campuses, college communities, and college students, whether they are younger or older than the minimum legal drinking age and whether or not they choose to drink.

• Alcohol Consumption and Binge Drinking are Common Among College Students1


- Alcohol Consumption: About four in five of all college students drink, including nearly 60 percent of students age 18 to 20.

- Binge Drinking: Approximately two of every five college students of all ages—more than 40 percent—have reported engaging in binge drinking at least once during the past 2 weeks. However, colleges vary widely in their binge drinking rates—from 1 percent to more than 70 percent (Wechsler et al., 1994, 1998, 2000b and NSDUH 2006).

• Excessive Drinking in College Leads to Many Adverse Outcomes2
- Deaths: It is estimated that 1,700 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes (about half among students under 21)

- Injuries: It is estimated that 599,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol each year (about half among students under 21)

- Assaults: It is estimated that more than 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking each year (430,000 of them by a college student under 21)

- Sexual Abuse: It is estimated that more than 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape each year (about half among students under 21)

- Unsafe Sex: It is estimated that more than 400,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 had unprotected sex as a result of their drinking and more than 100,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex each year

- Academic Problems: It is estimated that about 25 percent of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall

- Vandalism: About 11 percent of college student drinkers report that they have damaged property while under the influence of alcohol

For additional information about college drinking, go to NIAAA’s College Drinking Prevention Web site at: http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/.

Notes/Additional Resources


1 Johnston LD, O’Malley PM, Bachman JG, Schulenberg JE. Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975–2007. Volume I: Secondary School Students (NIH Publication No. 08–6418A). Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2008, p. 26.

2 Hingson R, Heeren T, Winter M, Wechsler H. Magnitude of alcohol-related mortality and morbidity among U.S. college students ages 18–24: Changes from 1998 to 2001. Annu Rev Public Health 26:259–279, 2005.

A Natural Stress Reliever

 Have you ever had one of those times in your life when you felt really stressed out? When it seems like every little thing bugs you and someone could say something and you could blow it out of proportion? Sometimes it may even feel like you have mental cobwebs in the corners of your mind that need to be swept down.

There is a simple solution to cleaning out those cobwebs, leaving your mind calm and relaxed. Therefore making it much easier to tolerate those little things that can bug you to death. Almost anyone can do it and you don't need a lot of money to get started. The main thing you need is the will power to do it. Yes, it's that simple.

Walking is an exercise that's great for both mind and body. I have been so stressed at times that I felt like I was going to explode, but going for a walk in the fresh air and sun done wonders for my problems. I still had my problems, but they didn't bother me as much. I was more able to deal with them, instead of them dealing with me. The troubled fabric of my wrinkled mind had been ironed out. It's no surprise that sometimes I've worked out a solution or have a better idea how to work it out.

How does walking or any aerobic exercise help make your mind calm and refreshed? While you're outdoors, feeling the wind blowing on your face along with the warmth of the sun, your feet making contact with the pavement and enjoying the scenery (nice neighborhoods with manicured lawns, squirrels scampering and chattering, birds chirping) a chemical is being released in your brain. It's the same chemical that's released when you take antidepressants. It's called Serotonin.

In addition to having a calming effect on your mind, walking is a great way to reduce your weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, tone up your legs and strengthen the cardiovascular system. All leading back to feeling good about yourself.

For me, the hardest part is getting out the door. I can make all kinds of excuses to stay inside. These are just a few of them: The weather is too hot or cold; what will people think?; I don't feel like it.

Let's take a closer look at these excuses. There is nothing that can be done about the weather, except try to pick a time of day when the temperature is more comfortable. The times I don't feel like it and make myself go anyway, I usually end up feeling better. What will people think? To be honest, probably nothing. They are too busy with their own lives to give much attention to what I'm doing. If they do notice what I'm doing, what they see is nothing unusual. People walk everyday for exercise. In fact, it could be a great way to meet new friends.

As for getting out the door, sometimes it's best to remember the old Nike commercial that said "Just do it". Stop thinking about why it shouldn't be done and get out the door and keep going. It's not easy for me to stop thinking and do it, but I know I can. I've done it in the past. I've found the effort is well worth it.