College Binge Drinking: Is Drastic Alcohol Experimentation Widespread?

Last weekend, fraternity brothers at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville had to rush one of their members to the ER. The reason? Pi Kappa Alpha member Alexander Broughton, age 20, had symptoms of alcohol poisoning, and a BAC of .40, a level that is five times the legal limit and, according to doctors, in the range for fatal alcohol consumption. Campus police are alleging that this young scholar didn’t get drunk by drinking, but by getting an alcohol enema from his fraternity brothers. With wine. Boxed wine.

Mark Broughton, father of the student, acknowledges his son got drunk, but denies enemas were being performed. Campus police say there was physical evidence at the fraternity house that shows that alcohol enemas were taking place and injuries to Broughton were consistent with this evidence. The Knoxville-News Sentinel is reporting that the PIKE fraternity has been indefinitely suspended from campus. The Zeta chapter house has been ordered to leave the campus within nine days.

New sources are reporting that young people are ingesting alcohol rectally in an attempt to evade detection and to get drunker, faster.  Essentially, the intensified affects is because alcohol hits the blood stream directly, without the filter of enzymes in the stomach and the liver. While the alcohol eventually hits the liver, it can cause major organ damage once it does. And the rate of intoxication is extremely rapid.

In 2004, the U.S. was introduced to alcohol vaporizers, said to quickly provide the “euphoric” effects of alcohol without the calories, carbohydrates, or hangovers. That trend was so pervasive that by 2008, 22 states had outlawed AWOL, or Alcohol Without Liquid.

Are Extreme Methods of Getting Drunk Widespread?

Alcohol enemas are not the only risky behaviors making headlines lately. Hand sanitizers, alcohol eye drops, and vodka soaked tampons are also being referred to as “alarming trends” and “disturbing new methods” kids are using to get drunk.

But hard numbers of reported cases are not widely available, and little research has been done on these types of extreme methods. According to the 2011 National Survey of Drug Use an Health: Summary of National Findings, released last week by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), rates of binge drinking among young adults declined slightly in 2011. Yet full-time college students ages 18 to 25 are far more likely to drink in the last month and binge drink than their peers in the same age group who are not enrolled in college.

Numbers from the NIAAA website indicate college drinking is a common experience; about 4 out of every 5 students drink alcohol, and out those who drink, about 50% engage in binge drinking. Binge drinking is defined as drinking enough to reach a BAC of .08 within 2 hours. This translates into about 4 drinks for women and 5 for men.

According to a story on CNN, Aaron White, a health scientist administrator at the NIAAA, said he knows of several stories in the past year or so “about young people finding unique ways to get alcohol in their bodies.” But the key question is whether these cases are isolated, or does the “viral” phenomenon of the Internet make isolated cases appear mainstream or even epidemic?

White reports that while these cases have been on their radar, they are fairly isolated. “This is extraordinarily dangerous, but people shouldn’t get the impression that it’s a widespread phenomenon,” he said.

What do you think? Are these trends becoming more widespread? Or is the Internet making these extreme cases seem mainstream? Should there be more research into the methods young people are using to binge “drink?”