Harvard School of Public Health survey (Wechsler et al., 2002b) indicated that while the percentage of abstainers increased between 1993 and 2001, both frequent heavy drinking (defined as three or more times in the past two weeks) and drinking to intoxication also increased. Trends in college drinking over the last decade have found that the rate of self-reported heavy drinking has remained at approximately 44 percent (Wechsler et al., 2002a). Nearly half (48 percent) of all the alcohol consumed by students attending 4-year colleges is consumed by underage students (Wechsler et al., 2002b).

Multiple studies have indicated that the most likely individuals to report participation in heavy drinking are white, male, fraternity members, under the age of 24, involved in athletics, who do not hold strong religious beliefs and have a tendency to socialize a great deal (for example, cf. Wechsler et al., 2002a; Kellogg, 1999; Presley et al., 2002). However, clearly not all students fitting this profile drink, and not all drinkers share these characteristics.

Alcohol consumption rates increase significantly during the first year of college: this increased use has been attributed by some to adjustment