Slight difference between college students getting drunk and baby boomers. It's illegal for the college students...a fact that seems to totally escape the college student until they're arrested/ticketed for underage drinking.
Many college students see these days as being freedom from their parents, and they live hard and fast with the rules. Their brains are still full of mush and they don't realize that having a good time does not entail waking up on the bathroom floor in their own vomit.
With maturity it is hoped that the majority of them will learn about moderation. In doing so, they inevitably have much more fun when living it up with their friends.