TROIS-RIVIERES, Quebec — It’s obvious that heavy drinkers are at more risk of getting injured, and in fact 30 to 40 percent of heavy drinkers are getting injured. In 2004 one third of Canadian under-graduate students reported heavy drinking, and 16 percent of these students reported frequent heavy drinking. Canadian Universities have recognized the problem and are taking specific measures to prevent it. One thing that does concern drug rehab officials is the amount of College and University students who are introduced to illicit drugs. “The combination of binge drinking and illicit drug use has the potential of putting many of these students at a higher risk of developing an addiction,” said Nick Hayes, a representative of the Narconon drug rehab program in Canada. “Many parents contact us asking how to handle their son’s or daughter’s drug abuse when they return home from school.”

Many Universities take efforts of cutting down on the drink specials at College and University pubs, but according to some researchers they want to pin point the high risks students and intervene. Marlon P. Mundt is an assistant scientist at the department of family medicine in the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is the co-author of a recent study looking at this problem.

He was quoted saying in an interview with The Windsor Star, published by Canwest News: “There’s a particular subset of students who are very likely to suffer alcohol-related injuries, if we’re going to focus efforts on reducing injuries, we have to recognize that this subset of heavy frequent drinkers with a high sensation-seeking disposition is really putting themselves at high risk.”

Statistics Canada released a report in 2008 indicating that beer is Canada’s number one alcoholic beverage of choice for young Canadians ages 19 to 30. The average Canadian male consumes three beers per day, and the average Canadian female consumes on average two beers per day. This could have much to do with some of the college binge drinking problems facing many Canadian Universities. There is a reported 500,000 alcohol related injuries occurring in one year throughout Universities across North America. More prevention and awareness programs are some of the best ways to handle these problems and prevent addictions from taking hold.

For more information visit the Narconon drug rehab Web site at narconon.ca/ or call toll free 1-877-782-7409.

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