College Health Service will present a recent survey on alcohol and other drug use at Dartmouth to the Board of Trustees, who are spending two hours on Friday discussing campus alcohol use.
Results of this survey will not be released until Friday, but other available statistics indicate cause for concern.
According to College Health Educator Gabrielle Lucke, 90 to 95 percent of sexual assault cases occur when at least one of the individuals is intoxicated.
"Alcohol twists relationships backwards, people have sex with each other before they know each other. Alcohol gives permission for unusual behavior," Lucke said.
According to Director of Health Service John Turco, between 25 and 50 unwanted pregnancies are reported by Dartmouth women each year. "These are intelligent Dartmouth women who didn't use contraception, often because they were intoxicated," Turco said.
Turco said 99 percent of these pregnancies are terminated, which he believes can cause later psychological stress.
"No matter what their views, there are long term ramifications," he said.
Lucke also noted that pregnancy is not the only consequence resulting from unprotected, alcohol-induced sexual behavior. The spread of sexually transmitted diseases is another.
Turco said many Dartmouth students do not think alcohol will pose any health problems for them because "the best and the brightest often feel immortal."
Turco said approximately 70 people were brought to Dick's House last Fall term for intoxication treatment. Although he said these numbers are generally higher on weekends, he noted that after midterms and finals he often sees an increase in weekday admissions.
"It fits the phrase, 'At Dartmouth we work hard and party hard,' " Turco said.
But Turco pointed out that "numbers are really just numbers."
"For every one or two students brought into Dick's House or picked up by Safety and Security, there's 12 others in the same condition. It's just the tip of the iceberg," he said.
And in the same way that the number of students brought to Dick's House for treatment represent only a small fraction of those in need of help, the physical conditions they are being treated for are only a small part of the behavioral consequences of abusing alcohol.
Lucke said various forms of alcohol-related eating disorders are becoming a widespread problem among college women both nationally and at Dartmouth.
One such disorder involves individuals depriving themselves of food during the day to make up for the weight they know they will gain by drinking beer later that night.
In another disorder, "beer bulimia," people binge on food during the day knowing they will drink enough to throw it all up that night. Bleeding of the esophagus and stomach can result from repeated vomiting.
Turco added that people with eating disorders are often more susceptible to the harmful affects of alcohol because it is physiologically easier for someone who is dehydrated to become drunk.
Health hazards associated with abusive drinking are not limited to those which damage the body biologically.
There are many other psychological complications resulting from alcohol abuse. Students who are "on the edge" often turn to alcohol, which in turn pushes them off the edge, Turco said.
"Alcohol acts as a precipitate or catalyst for many psychological problems," Turco said.
Turco added that much of the rationale behind drinking at Dartmouth has to do with the need to alleviate stress. "One of the jobs that students have is to develop a response to stress and anxiety that isn't harmful to themselves or other students," Turco said.
Alcohol is often the predominant factor in many campus accidents and fights.
According to Dan Nelson, associate dean of students, most fights and cases of dorm damage are alcohol related. He points out that the amount of dorm damage has decreased significantly since Dartmouth adopted its policy prohibiting intoxication and unregistered large gatherings.
But the issue of alcoholism, perhaps the most obvious health hazard associated with alcohol abuse, is also prevalent at other colleges.
College spokesman Alex Huppe said many Dartmouth alumni have reported that their problems with alcohol began at Dartmouth.
"American culture is a culture that promotes alcohol abuse and American colleges and universities are environments in which there is a lot of abuse of alcohol," Nelson said. "Dartmouth is not unique in this respect but we shouldn't use that as an excuse."
Lucke thought that education about the health hazards of alcohol abuse must focus on looking at alcohol in the same way we look at cancer or heart disease.
"The campus could be much more civil if there was a lower level of alcohol abuse, I'm not saying it should be a dry campus, but the administration needs to set some boundaries," Turco said.
