Binge drinking among college-age persons in Virginia has increased, while use of illicit drugs other than marijuana stabilized after an earlier rise, according the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' 2002-2003 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, released yesterday.
The 2002-2003 study indicated that 40 percent of 18- to 25-year-olds in Virginia had engaged in binge drinking in the month prior to the survey, 20 percent had used marijuana and 8 percent had used an illicit drug other than marijuana.
Self-reported use of cocaine, tobacco, and marijuana among Virginians age 18 to 25 has not significantly changed since the 2001 survey.
According to the study, the percentage of people in the 18- to 25-year-old demographic reporting their perception of binge-drinking as "dangerous" has remained stable as well.
Drug use in Virginia falls near the national median in comparison with other states.
"We are kind of in the middle of the pack," said Susan Bruce, director of the Center for Alcohol and Substance Education at the University.
Bruce emphasized that because the study is conducted every year and some of the research methods are changed, comparing the results from year to year may lead to inaccurate interpretations about drug use trends.
Results from the University Office of Health Promotion's 2004 Student Health Survey -- released in January -- indicated decreasing incidents of student alcohol abuse at the University.
The Student Health Survey does not measure binge drinking but tracks negative consequences associated with excessive alcohol consumption, Social Norms Marketing Director Jennifer Bauerle said.
In the past four years students reporting experiencing negative consequences -- including hangovers, missing class, and engaging in unprotected sex -- has decreased, according to Bauerle.
Despite an increase in self-reported cases of binge-drinking in Virginia, studies at the University suggest that peer intervention may be contributing to more responsible drinking among University students.
"What we are seeing is very encouraging," Bruce said. "Students are intervening more with friends."
Out of 136,000 respondents to the national Department of Health Survey, 341 were 18- to 25-year-olds from Virginia.
"Results of the study will be used by state agencies to help qualify for federal funding," said Leah Young, director of media studies for the U.S. Department of Health.
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