Hazing doesn't always involve alcohol or other substances, but the use of alcohol always increases risk.

Alcohol and Hazing: The Facts

  • “There wasn't a single death from alcohol before 1940. Now, it's one of the most major [causes of hazing-related deaths]."1
  • Since January 2000, over 100 people have lost their lives due to hazing activities in the United States. Of those, 60 were related to substance use, nearly always alcohol.2
  • Participating in drinking games is the most frequently reported hazing behavior among college students. Tied for third is “drinking large amounts of alcohol to the point of getting sick or passing out.”3
  • 71% of college students who witnessed hazing said alcohol rituals were involved.4

Why is alcohol so dangerous when involved in hazing?

  • Even small amounts of alcohol impair judgment. This increases the likelihood that students will engage in risky behaviors they would never do when sober.
  • Many students do not understand standard drink measures, and are asked to consume potentially lethal amounts of alcohol without recognizing the risk.
  • Intoxication increases the power differential between hazers and those being hazed, increasing the odds that hazing victims will comply with increasingly unreasonable or dangerous requests.
  • Alcohol use can increase existing anxiety about the unknown aspects of hazing.
  • A person cannot consent to any activity when intoxicated, much less agree to be hazed.
  • Current group members may use alcohol to reduce feelings of guilt or shame for engaging in or allowing hazing activities.
  • The use of alcohol in hazing activities increases risk of physical and emotional harm.

 

Sources:

  1. As Campus Life Resumes, So Does Concern Over Hazing. NPR, 4 May 2021
  2. U.S. Hazing Deaths Database. https://www.hanknuwer.com Accessed 30 March 2022.
  3. Allan, E.J. and Madden, M. (2008) Hazing in View: College Students at Risk.
  4. National College Student Bystander Intervention Study Data Summary Report (2020). WITH US Center for Bystander Intervention at Cal Poly.