It seems that alcohol is a form of escapism. Now, a glass of red wine a day is good for the heart. But if one uses alcohol as a means to get away from all your troubles it is a very serious issue- especially one that a lot of students face dealing with all of the stresses of studying.
It also seems to me that students get kind of overwhelmed at the new freedoms that they can do once they leave the "nest" and they engage in all of it as much as possible. Binge drinking, "hooking-up", etc. are all results of both being overwhelmed with freedom and overstressed with work.
What's further interesting is how fast some people get out of this stage (while others need some more time). It leaves people feeling spiritually empty since it fulfills just a short-term earthly desire, rather than doing something more permanent for the soul like develop a personal relationship with God.
I went to UConn where the unofficial motto was "We drink beer for breakfast"
..Never knew anyone who did that though... hehe