Researchers at San Diego State University and the University of Michigan have carried out a first of its kind on-the-scene study of college drinking behavior, and their results are quite interesting. Their work has been published in the Thursday edition of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and involved going to 66 different college parties.

"Most shocking to me was that women at themed parties kept dressing less and less," said Megan Holmes who is now working on her doctoral degree at UCLA. "When I was in college there were themed parties, but I never saw girls just wearing lingerie or just a bra and panties, and that was pretty common at the themed parties I saw."

The team has found out that 61.3 percent stated that they were at a party in college to socialize, 45 percent were there to have fun and be motivated, 21 percent were trying to meet a sexual partner and, finally, 40 percent were there to simply get drunk. About 70 percent reported having access to illicit drugs.

"One of [the] most surprising things to us was the theme-party finding that women drank more at these," said lead study author John Clapp, director of the Center for Alcohol and Drug Studies and Services at San Diego State University. "We started going to theme parties like toga parties or costume parties, with highly sexualized themes and with the women wearing not very much."

The researchers found that nearly 90 percent of all of the party guests who took a Breathalyzer test were intoxicated, with average scores near 0.08 percent blood alcohol concentration. Also, drinking at private residences leads to significantly higher alcohol concentrations than does bar drinking, because of the price and because most places will cut off heavy drinkers.

The team at San Diego State University and the University of Michigan observed 1,304 young adults. They were 751 men and 553 women who attended 66 college parties over the course of three semesters. All the parties took place in private residences at undisclosed locations close to an urban public university in southern California.