An analysis of federal records shows that 157 college-age individuals drank themselves to death between 1999 and 2005, and a separate analysis of news reports showed that many of the victims were extremely intoxicated, the Associated Press reported July 7.

The Associated Press analysis indicated that while college students drank roughly the same amount of alcohol as other adults, they tended to drink more at a sitting, often as part of drinking games like beer pong.

Of the college-age youth who died, 83 were under the legal drinking age of 21. When the AP reviewed hundreds of news articles about drinking-related fatalities published during the last decade, they found that victims had an average blood-alcohol level of .40 percent -- five times the legal limit for presumed intoxication. Most of the victims were male.

In about 40 percent of the cases, criminal charges were filed, often for providing alcohol to underage drinkers.

"There have always been problems with young people and alcohol, but it just seems like they are a little more intense now than they used to be," said Connie Gores, vice president for student life at Winona State University in Minnesota. "The goal of a lot of them is just to get smashed."