About four in five college students drink, according to statistics from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and about 40 percent of all college students have engaged in binge drinking, according to the same group.

Binge drinking involves consuming five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women in a single sitting, as described by Harvard researchers.

Binge drinking seems to impair the body’s ability to handle alcohol, either at the physical or psychological level, and puts people at risk for fatal injuries, sexual abuse and academic problems.

Most students who drink, start to wind down by their junior year. Those that continue to drink heavily, tend to use alcohol to cope with personal problems and boost self-confidence. They are more likely to have alcohol problems throughout life, according to a new study from Ohio State University.

Researchers say these students tend to know that something is not quite right, but they do not seem ready or willing to make a change.

A family history of alcohol-related disease could be a strong influence on high-risk drinking behavior in college.

The study suggests that identifying these students in their junior year and getting them into early counseling can help to lower their tendency toward a life-long drinking problem.