A recent study on college-age drinking in the United States confirms that alcohol and young people make a dangerous combination. Researchers at Boston University’s School of Public Health in Massachusetts found that more than 1,000 college students die each year from alcohol-related accidents in the United States, while many thousands more suffer injuries or are assaulted by other students under the influence of alcohol.

Researchers also discovered that 27 percent of students—some 2.1 million young people—drove while drunk last year. Forty percent of college students binge on alcohol, meaning that when asked about their drinking habits, they admitted to drinking five or more alcoholic drinks on at least one occasion within the past two weeks.

Drinking in college can also lead to a lifetime of alcohol-related problems, says Dr. Allan Handysides, director of health ministries for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. “Statistics show that at least 12 percent of students are going to get caught in the trap of alcohol dependency.”

Handysides believes a student-led strategy will be most effective in dealing with college-age drinking. “Student councils and student bodies need to become accountable,” he says. “These students are an integral part of society and they should act like responsible people. I’d like to see some of the students take a leading role in talking about this problem and finding solutions.”

Any campaign should focus on abstinence, rather than “moderation,” says Handysides. “Only total abstinence from alcohol ensures that a person will avoid the problems that inevitably accompany drinking.” Saying “No” to alcohol leads both to better personal health and to a safer society for everyone, explains Handysides.

For more than a century the Adventist Church has maintained a consistent position on alcohol, says Handysides, promoting a positive, healthy, alcohol-free lifestyle through its health care institutions, literature, and health education seminars.