Statistics, Bullard
College Drinking Statistics
Contrary to common perception, most college students do not drink excessively. However, those
students who do choose to drink excessively often deal with issues ranging from poor academic
performance to unsafe sex and alcohol overdose.

Nearly one in four male college students (23.6 percent) and one in 10 female students
(9.9%) report three or more binge* drinking episodes in the previous two weeks.
Source: Core Institute on Alcohol and Other Drug Studies at Southern Illinois University,
1992-1994 Figures

Nearly one in 10 (8.5 percent) male college students reports consuming 21 or more
drinks per week.
Source: Core Institute on Alcohol and Other Drug Studies at Southern Illinois University,
1992-1994 Figures

Of students who report binge drinking three or more times in the previous two weeks:
A. 90 percent reported having had a hangover.
B. 46 percent got behind in school work (compared to six percent for non-binge
drinkers).
C. 22 percent said they engaged in unprotected sex (compared to four percent for
non-binge drinkers).
D. 1 percent required treatment for alcohol overdose.
Source: Harvard School of Public Health, December 1994 Report
* Binge drinking is defined in these studies as five or more drinks in a row in the past two weeks
for men, and four or more drinks in a row in the past two weeks for women. It should be noted
that the term "binge" is defined as a problem drinking indicator. Its relation to the popular concept
of the term has recently caused it to come under scrutiny by some in the academic community.
(See: The Limits of Binge Drinking, International Center for Alcohol Policies, April 1997)
(The above information was taken from the Century Council on-line at
centurycouncil.org.)
Consider a population of 10,000 college students at a particular college whose student
population breaks down into 6,000 women and 4,000 men. Suppose, for the purposes of
this class, that binge drinking among these men and women occurs in the proportions
given above. (23.6% for men, 9.9% for women.)
We will consider some ways to represent this population graphically, and then will use
our representations to answer some probability questions.