Study Finds College Women Who Binge Drink Are More Likely to Be Victims of Sexual Assault Down the Road

A study by researchers at the University of Georgia finds a link in binge drinking behavior among first-year women college students with a greater likelihood that they will become victims of sexual assault later in their college years.

The study, published in the journal Violence and Victims, found women who were first-year college students and who drank four or more alcohol drinks in one day, were 33 percent more likely to be victims of sexual assault over the following months. Many studies have shown a link between drinking alcohol and sexual assault at the time of drinking behavior. This study shows an apparent link with binge drinking and sexual assault down the road.

Sarah Fisher, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Georgia and a co-author of the study, said, “The main point is that binge drinking at the start of the year increases risk for freshmen college women for later sexual assault during their first year of college.”

The authors of the study stated that they are not “blaming the victim” for behavior that leads to a sexual assault. They emphasize that sexual assaults are always the complete responsibility of the person who pressures or forces the other to engage in unwanted sexual activity.