Alcohol and Crime

I have been struggling with this question for the last year or so.  Is it just me or is alcohol use increasing?  am I feeling this just because I'm in college?  One thing is for sure: college aged students are drinking more than ever before.  Binge drinking is seen as a normal college experience and not a sign of alcoholism that it is.  I talked about this with some my mother and some of her friends one day over lunch, and they consented that they feel even their age group, and the world over seem to be more dependent on alcohol.  Now, this can quite seemingly be associated with the growing number of people under severe stress and with anxiety problems.  About 10% of American citizens are on anti-depressants, according to a USA Today article in August.  What I want to know, is how this increase in alcohol use is affecting our criminal system.  Are more petty crimes being committed?  Is there perhaps an increase in more serious crimes like the Curtis Fry incident in 2008?  On his 21st birthday he blacked out and ended up being held responsible for the death of an elderly man.  The problems are never ending, earlier this year there was an article in the Daily Iowan describing the effects of alcohol on the downtown district in Iowa and ambulance calls.  They've need to add more help because of the increase in problems.  They've found that binge drinking has increased.  There are more fights downtown.  There is a constant battle between the city, the university, and the students on making all bars 21 and older.  Bars are often receiving fines or losing their liquor licenses from serving underaged persons.  Now, they are even considering putting cameras downtown to be able to reference when a crime is committing in that area.  Something needs to be done.  Many people have tried, but it is essential to stopping more alcohol related crimes from occuring.