Most Dangerous Drinking Games in College

By Ashley Paskill on September 21, 2017

It is no secret that drinking games are popular pastimes on college campuses across the United States. However, many students do not recognize the fact that many of the most popular drinking games are also among the most dangerous. In a study by American Addiction Centers, a group of more than 1000 Americans were surveyed to find out which games were the most dangerous.

In a comparison among five of the most popular drinking games, only two (beer pong and flip cup) have no minimum drinking levels, while two (Kings and A**hole) have and unlimited maximum amount of drinks per game.  In Power Hour, the average player consumes 60 ounces of alcohol over the length of an hour while flip cup players consume three ounces in just one minute.

Power Hour is the only drinking game that does not allow back-to-back game play, forcing players to take a break between plays. Beer pong and flip cup are the only drinking games that can be played in a team, while the other games are individual.  In flip cup, it only takes 16 minutes, the equivalent of 16 game plays, for players to reach the limit for legal driving (.08 BAC).

These games are harmful to students’ health. Many college students do not reach the legal drinking age until they are juniors. The law of being 21 in order to drink is in place for health reasons, and having students who are not fully developed consume dangerous amounts of alcohol puts them at risk down the line.

Also, most young people think they are invincible. They think they can drink any time and as much as they want. “My parents are not here, I cannot be caught,” they think. However, according to the study, “any level of alcohol consumption is going to change the level of serotonin in the brain, which can create greater anxiety.” Another huge problem is drinking and driving, which can kill the person who has been drinking as well as those in other cars.

College campuses need to enforce the drinking laws more. Many campuses even have laws against possessing alcohol in dorms. However, there are students who live in off-campus housing. Colleges need to make students more aware of the dangers that drinking, especially underage, poses to students who do play these games.

Students can take action as well. If a friend is going to a party and a student does not drink, the non-drinker can go to keep those drinking in check and to be the designated driver. Non-drinkers can urge underage drinkers or those buying alcohol for minors that it is not legal to do this and that it can cause health problems in the future.

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