The risks of turning 21

For many young Americans, turning 21 means drinking a lot of alcohol. In one study, discussed Saturday during APA’s Annual Convention, half of the women drank more on that occasion then in any other 24-hour period of their lives up to that point.

So much drinking in such a short period brings a slew of negative consequences, said Kim Fromme, PhD, at the University of Texas at Austin. A recent study shows, for example, that among a group asked to record their drinking behaviors during a 30-day period that included their 21st birthdays, 44 percent experienced alcohol-caused blackouts and almost 5 percent reported having unprotected sex.

Hangovers, fights and embarrassing themselves were also common outcomes, Fromme said.

Men reported downing an average of just more than 12 drinks and women, eight during the drinking celebrating turning 21. Blood alcohol levels were estimated to range from 0.20 to 0.23 for many of the students—almost three times the legal limit for driving while intoxicated.