• Two out of five college students are binge drinkers (five or more drinks in one sitting).
• In 2001, approximately 44% of college students reported binge drinking.
• Approximately 6% of college students have been diagnosed as alcohol dependent and nearly one-third of students would be given an alcohol abuse diagnosis under psychiatric criteria.
• One out of every four college students who drink report having forgotten where they were or what they did while drinking during the school year.
• Surveys from colleges and universities across the country indicate percentages of students who used various other drugs within the past year: marijuana (32.3 percent); amphetamines (6.5 percent); hallucinogens (7.5 percent); cocaine (3.7 percent); and designer drugs such as Ecstasy (3.6 percent).
• A national study released in March 2010 points to marked upswings in the use of drugs that teens are likely to encounter at parties and in other social situations.
• Alcohol use in the past month by teens in grades 9-12 has grown by 11%
• Past year Ecstasy use shows a 67% increase
• Past year marijuana use shows a 19% increase
• The 2010 Key Findings of the Monitoring the Future Survey state:
• Nearly half (42%) of students have tried cigarettes by 12th grade and 19% of 12thgraders are current smokers.
• Nearly three quarters of students have consumed more than just a few sips of alcohol by the end of high school.
• More than half of 12th graders and one sixth of 8th graders in 2010 report having been drunk at least once in their life.
• Today, nearly half of students have tried an illicit drug by the time they finish high school.
• 25% have used some illicit drug other than marijuana by the end of 12th grade, and almost 20% of all 12th graders reported doing so during the 12 months prior to the survey.
• The nonmedical use of prescription drugs is also rising in youth where students are raiding their parent’s medicine cabinets and mixing medications at parties.
• Over 12 million Americans aged 12 and older reported nonmedical use of prescription drugs in 2010 (in the past year).
• One in 10 high school seniors used the powerful pain reliever Vicodin for nonmedical reasons in the past year.
• More than one million adolescents (12-17) needed treatment for an illicit drug problem in 2008.
• According to a 2007 study, almost 60%of student-athletes reported consuming five or more drinks when they drink alcohol, an increase from 2001 data.
• College student athletes are considered to be at greater risk for abusing alcohol and other drugs than their non-athlete peers. The developers of myPlaybook understood the difference between student-athletes and the general college population. They realized the need for a drug and alcohol education program designed specifically for student-athletes

Why are student-athletes different? Studies suggest that student-athletes are different from their peers because of added stress and social pressures related to:

• Balancing athletics and academics
• Adapting to social challenges and lack of leisure time
• Managing athletic success and failures
• Minimizing physical injury
• The end of their athletic career
• Weight management issues

How do student-athletes behave differently?

• Student-athletes drink more alcohol per week, engage in binge or high risk drinking more often, and experience more alcohol-related consequences than do non-athletes
• Student-athletes engage in riskier behavior and more sensation seeking behavior than non–athletes.
• Student-athletes have higher misperceptions about their peer’s use of alcohol.
• Many student-athletes do not view alcohol as a legitimate threat to social, academic, or athletic performance
• Non-medical anabolic steroid use, which is more prevalent among intercollegiate athletes than non-athletes, is associated with other risky behaviors such as cigarette smoking, illicit drug use, and driving while under the influence

Dangerous Consequences

• 1,700 dieeach year from alcohol-related incidents, including motor vehicle crashes
• 599,000 are injuredunder the influence of alcohol
• More than 696,000 are assaultedby a student who has been drinking
• More than 97,000 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape
• 400,000 have unprotected sexand more than 100,000 report that they were too intoxicated to know if they consented
• About 25% of students report missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overallas a result of drinking
• More than 150,000 develop an alcohol-related health problem
• Each year 2.1 million drive under the influence of alcohol

Sources:

• Brenner & Swanik, 2008; Grossbard et al. 2007a; Wechsler et al., 2002
• Sabo et al., 2002; Grossbard et al., 2007a; Leichliter et al. 1999
• NCAA, 2006
• McCabe et al., 2007
• Watson, J. 2002
• Yusko et al. 2008
• MADD