Henry Wechsler, Ph.D., and Meichun Kuo, Sc.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Mass., found that students who drink more alcohol tend to have more liberal definitions of binge drinking than students who drink less.

The researchers interviewed more than 14,000 students at 119 U.S. colleges and universities about their drinking habits. The students also were asked to describe binge drinking and their perception of alcohol use on campus.

Students defined binge drinking as six drinks for men and five drinks for women. On the other hand, researchers define binge drinking as five or more drinks for men and four or more for women at least once in a two-week period.

The researchers further determined that the more the students drank alcohol, the higher the limit they set for binge drinking. For instance, nondrinkers defined binge drinking as five drinks for men and four for women, while frequent binge drinkers defined binge drinking as eight drinks for men and six for women. Students who said they frequently consume alcohol defined binge drinking at 10 or more drinks for men.

"One of the most interesting findings is that heavy drinking students perceive their alcohol use as relatively normal, partly based upon their personal definitions of binge drinking," said Joyce A. Tinsley, M.D., a psychiatrist specializing in addictions at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "Programs that correct these students' misperceptions about what constitutes harmful drinking may help them gain a more accurate understanding of their own drinking habits."

The study is published in the September issue of the Journal of American College Health.

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