A man only has to take five drinks – and a woman four – for his or her drinking to qualify as a binge, and what may sound like a normal night of partying can pose major health risks to drinkers.

Ray Rodriguez, health program coordinator for Thielen Student Health Center, said the number of frequent high-risk drinkers at Iowa State is less than 20 percent, and those statistics are similar to national statistics.

“It is a little over 40 percent or so that report binge drinking, although not frequently,” Rodriguez said. “Do we have a problem? Of course. But are we different from the national average? No.”

Rodriguez said although it would be nice to be below the national average, it is nice to see that the “majority of the students drink low-risk or not at all.”

Those students who are in high-risk drinking situations should be aware of the effects.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Web site, binge drinking is associated with a variety of health problems, such as alcohol poisoning, liver disease, neurological damage, sexual dysfunction, high blood pressure, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.

Ryan Kelch, junior in biology, said although he knows the effects, he isn’t concerned.

“The physiological effects don’t cross my mind while I’m drinking,” Kelch said. “Not until after a long night of drinking.”

Martha Norton, coordinator for Student Counseling Services’ substance abuse program, said binge drinking starts as a social activity.

“You can become dependent on it for both social situations and rely on it physically,” she said.

Although peer pressure can be a factor in social drinking situations, Kelch said his drinking primarily depends on the place and situation.

“Usually my influence to drink is who I’m around and in what social setting,” Kelch said. “I don’t think anyone can pressure me enough to drink when I don’t want to.”

But what is being done on campus to counteract binge drinking?

“Iowa State is definitely doing something about it,” Rodriguez said. “Just by having a conversation, I think that is helping. Over a fourth of students don’t even use alcohol.”

Rodriguez said a variety of programs on campus promote safer drinking habits.

“We present in a very real way, and we don’t use scare tactics,” he said. “We give people the facts and let them decide what is right. Students need to realize that for themselves.”

National programs, such as the Social Norms Campaign for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and the Higher Education for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention, are working with colleges around the country to promote activities and programs that bring attention to the problems of alcohol and drug abuse and to help students become involved in creating solutions to and prevention techniques for the problems their campus faces.

Kerri Roesner, program assistant for substance abuse and violence prevention, said there many different types of programs, but they do not solve all the binge drinking problems.

“There are really no easy answers, no magic bullets and no programs that have proven to be the end-all to stop binge drinking,” Roesner said. “Many campuses address the issue of binge drinking based on where their issues lie and what will work best for their campus environment.”

Some campuses provide information and education to students, while some provide alternative activities on the weekends, interventions, enforcement or they implement campaigns, Roesner said.

At Iowa State, programs such as peer education, in which students talk about drinking habits with other students are available.

Students are also encouraged to participate in one of the many alcohol-free activities such as ISU AfterDark, IRHA Free Friday Flicks and SUB events.