This dude ' s smile is so infectious haha . <| sep |> Statistically , absolutely . The average citizen is way more likely to die in an alcoholrelated incident than in combat , in part because only a tiny percentage of the military actually serves in combat units , and of those , even fewer actually see combat . Using them as a comparison is like saying if you can play in the NBA at 20 , you should be able to drink . It ' s meaningless because it applies to so few people . ConsequencesResearchers estimate that each year 1 , 825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcoholrelated unintentional injuries , including motorvehicle crashes . 27 696 , 000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking . 28 97 , 000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report experiencing alcoholrelated sexual assault or date rape . 28 Roughly 20 percent of college students meet the criteria for an AUD . 29 Afghanistan combat fatalities averaged around 1 , 900 per year . Just a bit more than college students alone . Now add high school and kids who did not go to college . And voilla drinking kills more people than combat . By a country mile .