Women who are pregnant should not consume alcohol. If one does, there is an increased chance of physical and psychological harm to the fetus, including spontaneous abortion, mental retardation, seizures, facial abnormalities, and other developmental malformations. Harvard School of Public Health documents that it takes four drinks for women to run the same risk of various alcohol-related health and behavior problems as men who have had five drinks. The problems include getting into arguments, getting injured, forgetting where they were or what they did, and engaging in unplanned or unprotected sex. Blackout is a term used to describe an interval of temporary memory loss during which the person remains conscious and active, may even appear sober, but later has no recollection even if reminded of where they were, or what they might have done.
Alcohol is the drug most used by college students.
Early drinkers tend to be heavy drinkers for life. In contrast, those who begin drinking after age 21 have low rates of heavy drinking. This is due to the relative societal approval and acceptance of drug use in the form of alcohol consumption as compared to illicit drug use. Several studies indicate that students have definite perceptions about alcohol related behaviors and attitudes of other students, which in-turn influences their own pattern of use. Cultural factors are exploited to influence alcohol use patterns, primarily to promote sales.