Cape Town - Binge drinking among university students is worrying and experts have warned that it’s now becoming a “public health concern”.

This comes after Stellenbosch University instituted an investigation this week after student Tiaan Schreuder urinated on himself while sitting on roommate Oscar Newton’s chair after he had spent the night out partying with his friends.

In July, university student Theuns du Toit, who was filmed urinating on a fellow student's belongings while he was drunk, was expelled.

The student experience has long been seen as a booze-soaked one. While continued research of alcohol abuse at universities has highlighted the problem over the past decade, little has changed and the problem appears to have worsened.

World No Alcohol Day is observed on Sunday and aims to highlight the risks of alcohol consumption. Worldwide, three million deaths every year result from the harmful use of alcohol, according to the World Health Organization.

South Africa has the unenviable ranking of being the sixth-largest consumer of alcohol in the world.

A 27-year-old former Stellenbosch University student told Weekend Argus he developed an addiction to alcohol, which saw him dropping out of varsity and roaming the streets.

He said he became hooked on “really good beer” at the age of 19, in his first year.

“It changed my life. It ruined my future.”

High prevalence of alcohol use among students in higher education is a public health concern, according to a study conducted by Professor Miriam Moagi from the NWU’s School of Nursing.

Moagi reviewed existing evidence to address alcohol abuse among students from a demand-reduction approach. Her research was published last year.

“Students using alcohol to cope with cognitive and physiological symptoms of social anxiety and struggling with emotional regulation are more prone to alcohol-related problems,” she said.

“Family plays an important role in the formation of young people's attitudes toward alcohol, and it is suggested that peers may similarly influence each other.”

A 2019 survey in the Western Cape found that 5.6% of first-year university students reported an alcohol use disorder in 12 months.

South Africa has a minimum legal drinking age of 18. “Statistics show that our young people are in fact, drinking from as young as 13 years of age (which is illegal) – a sobering fact. We have to start the conversation earlier to effectively address the problem of underage drinking,” said Ingrid Louw, aware.org CEO on its website.

The South African Students Congress (Sasco) Zizo Vokwana argued that changing the drinking age won’t help, adding that universities have a major role to play in ensuring that their residences don’t become breeding grounds for alcohol-related problems.

Vokwana said the other problem was that students now drink to get drunk and even choose hard liquor over ciders.

The organisation said the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy, where several underage drinkers died, illustrated the severity of underage drinking.

The tragedy has reignited the Liquor Amendment Bill - which seeks to increase the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 year.

The South African Alcohol Policy Alliance (SAAPA) to renew calls for the drinking age to increase from 18 to 21.

But the Freedom Front Plus leader, Pieter Groenewald, said such a law would make it more likely for students to drink in secret.

“They also won’t be able to monitor this,” Groenewald said.

The ANC’s Khalid Sayed, however, said raising the drinking age would be “a necessary intervention“ as it would curb drinking in schools too.

“We have a serious challenge of substance use disorder in the Western Cape and the country in general,” he said.

“Following the recent Enyobeni tragedy, the president raised this suggestion of raising the legal drinking age to 21. It is a necessary intervention but will not be a silver bullet.

“We need to increase efforts to ensure enforcement of regulations and laws.”

Need help call 0861 435 722 or reach out to the SA Depression and Anxiety Group’s 24hr Helpline 0800 456 789

Weekend Argus.

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State risks overstepping boundaries

Binge drinking a dangerous ‘norm’ among university students