A new survey by Project Know, an addiction education resource, suggests that high school and college students might be coming back from spring break with more than a few regrets. The website surveyed 889 former high school and college students who had traveled on spring break in the last five years. And while it’s important to keep in mind that Project Know definitely has an agenda, the results of the survey do point to a darker side of all that fun in the sun.
According to the survey, Cancun, Mexico was the favorite choice for spring break, followed by Miami Beach and Las Vegas. In general, Florida ranks as one of the most popular destinations. According to The Atlantic, this dates back to college swimmers in the 1930s looking for warm places to train. By the early 2000s, nearly 40 percent of college students were traveling for spring break—and spending almost a billion dollars in Florida and Texas alone. But that’s hardly a bump for the local economies. Unless they’re selling cheap alcohol in bulk, locals are unlikely to see much of a benefit from spring break. Mostly, it just results in a lot more arrests.
Project Know’s survey was most interested in people’s first-hand experiences while on spring break. When asked about their biggest regrets, 38 percent of respondents said alcohol consumption. Around a quarter of those surveyed said they had blacked out from too many drinks, while 10 percent admitted to operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Five percent were hospitalized and another 5 percent got into legal trouble while having a little too much fun.
The survey also highlighted the prevalence of binge drinking—as much a spring break staple as bikinis and beaches. Thirty percent of all respondents said that they had consumed eight or more drinks per day (22 percent of those under 21 and 34 percent of those who were legal to drink). According to Project Know, “depending on the amount of time elapsed between drinking, almost two-thirds of those surveyed could potentially be classified as binge drinkers.” Thirty-two percent said that they had between four and seven drinks per day.
The second biggest regret, the survey found, was sex. While the majority of respondents only had one sexual partner, a concerning 40 percent said that they did not use protection. Sixty-five percent of men surveyed had had sex with a stranger, versus 42 percent of women. For Project Know, these stats are most worrisome because of the spread of STIs, particularly given that over a quarter of new HIV infections occur in young adults between the ages of 13 and 24. And of course, huge amounts of alcohol mixed with huge amounts of sex is a recipe for sexual assault.
Eleven percent of those surveyed cited drug use as their biggest regret, with 30 percent saying that they had used some sort of drug while on spring break. For 26 percent of respondents, that drug was marijuana, which is still illegal in many spring break hot spots. The survey also found that those who traveled to South Padre Island, Texas were most likely to use drugs (48 percent), while Tampa, Florida had the highest rates of alcohol poisoning (13 percent).
With spring break season wrapping up for another year, Project Know hopes to shine a light on some of the more unsafe behaviors that are a part of the whole experience. And while many college students make it through with only great memories of times with friends, others are not so lucky. So remember to stay safe out there!