In movies, on TV, and in real life, college campuses are home to a culture that actively promotes drinking. While some schools try to curb this behavior by establishing strict rules, it is typically something that persists. Whether in fraternity houses, tailgate parties outside football stadiums, or even the local bars just outside a university’s boundaries, the culture continuously promotes and caters to binge drinking.

A study from the Department of Psychology from the University of Houston found that a number of factors associated with college life increased one’s likelihood of binge drinking. By moving out of their parents’ house, college students became more likely to drink heavily and have alcohol-related problems.

These students were even more likely to drink heavily and develop problems with alcohol if they joined certain social groups like fraternities and sororities.

While binge drinking in college with friends can itself be hazardous, another study from the Department of Psychology from the University of Alaska Anchorage found that binge drinking alone can be even more dangerous. 

It found that adults who recently left college and binge drink solitarily experience greater depression and suicidal ideation than those who binge drink in social settings. It also concluded that suicidal ideation was associated with drinks per binge; more drinks per binge led to greater suicidal ideation.

While this study does not make a connection between all college students and recent college students having a higher risk of suicide from binge drinking, it does make the connection for a specific group. There is a clear connection between college and former college students who binge drink alone and suicide. From this, it would appear that alcohol and suicidal thoughts go hand in hand with loneliness.