students.  As a result of their alcohol use, students experienced harms such as

regretted things said or done after drinking (62%), felt effects of alcohol while

at class/work (50%), missed school/work days (44%) and harmed studies/work

(28%). A higher number of male students experienced these forms of harms in

comparison to their female counterparts. Male students were twice as likely to

have been in a fight, in an accident and had unprotected sex in comparison to

female students.  One in four male students and one in five female students

experienced money problems as a result of their drinking.  First and second

year students were more likely to have been in an accident or fight or

experienced financial problems and thought they should cut down on their

drinking in comparison to third year students.  The prevalence of all the

adverse consequences was higher for all student groups in comparison to a

similar group in the drinking pattern survey

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As a result of someone else's drinking, the most often cited consequences

experienced by male students were verbal abuse, passenger with a driver who

had taken alcohol, arguments with friends and family about drinking, property

vandalised and physically assaulted. For female students, the most common

negative consequences, as a result of someone else's drinking were; verbal

abuse, arguments with friends, relationship difficulties and passenger with a

driver who had taken alcohol. The sexual assault rate, although low, was twice

the rate among first year female students in comparison to second and third

year students. A higher number of first and second year students experienced

verbal abuse, physical abuse, unprotected sex and property damage in

comparison to third year students, as a result of someone else's drinking.

PROFILE OF STUDENTS WITH HIGH RISK DRINKING PATTERNS

High risk drinking is a pattern of drinking that is likely to increase the risk of

harm for the drinker and for others. Binge drinking, a form of high risk

drinking, was the norm among college students. To assess to what extent high

risk drinking increases the risk of harm among college students, the dynamics

of binge drinking with a number of key student well being and welfare

indicators were examined using underlying perceptions about alcohol, student

living conditions, general health, risk taking behaviours and coping skills. 

Students who were regular binge drinkers, defined as binge drinking at least

weekly, were two to three times more likely to experience a range of adverse

consequences as a result of their drinking in comparison to students who

were binge drinking less frequently or non binge drinkers.  Regular binge

drinkers were twice as likely to miss school/work (61% vs 27%), felt alcohol

effects while at class/work (64% vs 28%), reported their studies/work were

harmed (38% vs 18%) and thought they should cut down on their drinking

(43% vs 19%) in comparison to other student drinkers. Money problems,

fights, unprotected sex and accidents were three times more likely to occur

among students who engaged in regular binge drinking.  A higher number of

regular binge drinkers in comparison to other drinkers, perceived that the

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