Drinking Underage at College

August 2025 Issue
Information provided by Lowcountry Alliance for Healthy Youth (LCAHY)

Did you know?
The first 6 weeks of freshman year are a vulnerable time for underage college drinking and alcohol-related consequences because of student expectations and social pressures at the start of the academic year.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) indicates that drinking by college students ages 18 to 24 contributes to an estimated 1,519 student deaths each year. In addition, there are an estimated 696,000 assaults by another student who has been drinking, and 97,000 cases of sexual assault or date rape each year.

• Prevalence of Drinking: According to the 2022 NSDUH, 50.2 percent of adults ages 18 to 22 drank alcohol in the past month. Within this age group, 51.5 percent of full-time college students ages 18 to 22 and 50.0 percent of other persons of the same age drank alcohol in the past month.

• Prevalence of Binge Drinking: According to the 2022 NSDUH, 29.5 percent of adults aged 18 to 22 reported binge drinking in the past month. Within this age group, 29.0 percent are full-time college students.

What to know about Alcohol Poisoning: 
Alcohol poisoning or alcohol overdose occurs when there is so much alcohol in a person’s bloodstream that areas of the brain controlling basic life-support systems—such as breathing, heart rate, and temperature control—begin to shut down. (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
Cold showers, hot coffee, or walking will NOT reverse the effects of alcohol overdose and could make things worse. If you suspect someone has alcohol poisoning, call 911 and get medical help immediately.  

Symptoms of Alcohol Poisoning Include:
• Confusion
• Vomiting
• Seizures
• Slow heart rate
• Clammy skin
• Death
• Difficulty remaining conscious
• Trouble with breathing
• Extremely low body temperature
• Dulled responses, like no gag reflex (which prevents choking)

What Are Blackouts?
Alcohol-related blackouts are gaps in a person’s memory for events that occurred while they were intoxicated. These gaps happen when a person drinks enough alcohol to temporarily block the transfer of memories from short-term to long-term storage, known as memory consolidation—in a brain area called the hippocampus.

Types of Blackouts:
There are two types of blackouts; they are defined by the severity of memory impairment. The most common type is called a “fragmentary blackout” and is characterized by spotty memories for events, with “islands” of memories separated by missing periods of time in between. This type is sometimes referred to as a grayout or a brownout.

Complete amnesia, often spanning hours, is known as an “en bloc” blackout. With this severe form of blackout, memories of events do not form and typically cannot be recovered. It is as if the events simply never occurred.

When Do Blackouts Occur?
Research indicates that alcohol-induced blackouts are more likely to occur when someone drinks on an empty stomach, drinks quickly, or engages in binge drinking, which can all lead to a rapid rise in blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

Blackouts are also more likely to occur if someone takes certain medications, such as those for sleep or anxiety. And females tend to also have a higher risk for experiencing blackouts. Because females, on average, weigh less than males and, pound for pound, have less water in their bodies, they tend to reach higher peak blood alcohol concentrations than males with each drink consumed. Females also reach peak BAC levels more quickly.

Drinking enough alcohol to cause blackouts can be dangerous. Many cognitive abilities beyond memory, such as impulse control, attention, judgment, and decision-making are significantly impaired at high BAC levels.

Blackouts vs. Passing Out:
A blackout is not the same as “passing out,” which means either falling asleep or losing consciousness from drinking too much. During a blackout, a person is still awake, but their brain is not creating new memories. Depending on how much the person drank, it is possible to transition from having a blackout to passing out.

Are Blackouts a Sign of an Alcohol-Related Problem?
Research among college students and other young adults has shown that the frequency of blackouts predicts other alcohol-related consequences, such as
missing work or school, having a lower grade point average [GPA], being injured, ending up in the emergency room, getting arrested, or experiencing other negative outcomes. Questions about blackouts during routine medical visits could serve as an important simple screening for the risk of alcohol-related harm.

Blackouts are not necessarily a sign of alcohol use disorder, but experiencing even one is a reason for concern and should prompt people to consider their relationship with alcohol and talk to their health care provider about their drinking.

For more information about alcohol and your health, please visit: 
RethinkingDrinking.niaaa.nih.gov

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Alcohol Policies 
All colleges and universities have alcohol policies, know yours before you drink. 

Alcohol Policies for South Carolina Colleges: www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/special-features/college-alcohol-policies/list/SC

Alcohol Policies for Out-of-State Colleges: www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/special-features/college-alcohol-policies

A special thanks to Lowcountry Alliance for Healthy Youth (LCAHY) for providing the information provided in this article. LCAHY’s mission is to bring together all sectors of our community to identify and implement strategies that promote positive youth development by addressing substance use/abuse and related risk behaviors. We encourage you to log on to lcahealthyyouth.com to access a tremendous resource regarding educational topics, resources and help on substance abuse, mental illness, suicide, brain development and so much more in regards to teens and young adults. LCAHY unites the community to promote positive choices.