Substance Use & Safety in College Life
Binge Drinking
What is Binge Drinking?
Simply put, binge drinking occurs when a person heavily uses alcohol over a short period of time, usually around 2 hours in time. One is considered to have engaged in binge drinking when their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is elevated to 0.08% or higher (NIAAA). For an average adult, this comes out to be about 4 to 5 standard drinks in a row.
One is considered to engage in heavy drinking when this pattern of excessive drinking occurs on a more regular basis over several short periods (e.g. over a week), and equates to about 8 to 15 standard drinks a week.
Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault
Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA)
Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) is when alcohol or other drugs are used in a way that compromises a person's ability to consent to sexual activity and when sexual activity occurs anyway, despite the individual's inability to provide consent.
The organization, RAINN, describes two ways in which DFSA occurs:
1) When a perpetrator exploits someone's voluntary substance use.
2) When someone is purposefully given drugs or alcohol (including drugs being slipped into drinks) to impair their ability to consent.
No matter how it happens, drugging someone or taking advantage of them while they’re impaired is assault. It’s a violation of their rights—and it’s never the victim’s fault.