Study says 54 percent of frosh drink in first week

According to a recent study, alcohol awareness is high among college freshmen -- in fact, most are very aware of alcohol. The Harvard School of Public Health study, conducted at universities where drinking is common, found that 54 percent of freshmen attending the schools got drunk during their first week of college. And 68 percent went on drinking binges by the end of their first semester. A binge is defined as chugging at least four drinks in a row. This survey may seem especially pertinent this week, as it is Alcohol and Other Drug Awareness Week at the University. Because the study did not disclose which schools were surveyed, it is unknown whether the University was included in the research. But many students said they were not exactly astonished by the results. "The information doesn't surprise me," said College freshman Robert Ballenger, who got drunk during his first week. "It is pretty common that people drink here." But while the existence of binge drinking is easily confirmed, its causes and the reasons for its prevalence are less clear. While peer pressure is a possibility, students say it is a genuine desire to drink. "I just wanted to," Wharton freshman Todd Buehl said. "I drank every week in high school, so it was no big deal." Wharton freshman Susana Tapia agreed that peer pressure had little bearing on her lifestyle. She does not get drunk, and said she does not feel pushed to drink. "I was not really pressured," she said. "Not where I live -- I live in English House." Second-year graduate student Lisa Dolgoff, who organized events for Alcohol and Other Drug Awareness Week, said pressure to drink does not cause the problem. Rather, she said, it is the pressure to meet people. "There are no alternatives other than bars and parties to meet people," she said. The need to make friends is so great that "it is almost inconsequential that they are drinking." Dolgoff, who works for the Office of Alcohol and Drug Education, said that she, too, was not surprised by the recent survey. "Recovering students found that all the students around them drank during their first week," she said. Dolgoff also suggested that the University provide an alcohol-free place to allow students to meet each other. "Chats is a great idea," she said. "But there is no entertainment. It doesn't offer an atmosphere to meet people."