Group
#9
Nicole
Petiet
Nozomi
Nakazawa
Joe
Lopez
Stacy
Pfiefer
Kari
Fiori
Alcohol Abuse: College
Students’ Usage and How to Combat the Epidemic
The National Institute on Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism (2014) defines moderate drinking as “up to 1 drink per day
for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men,” (1). Alcohol use exceeding
this number is considered abuse, although lower levels might be considered
abuse on a case-by-case basis. The NIAAA (2014) defines binge drinking as “a
pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels to
0.08 g/dL… [which] typically occurs after 4 drinks for women and 5 drinks for
men—in about 2 hours,” (2). SAMHSA (2014) defines binge drinking as
“drinking 5 or more alcoholic drinks on the same occasion on at least 1 day in
the past 30 days,” and heavy drinking as “drinking 5 or more drinks on the same
occasion on each of 5 or more days in the past 30 days (3). Alcohol
abuse can be observed in college populations all over the country. Alcohol is
the most commonly abused drug among underage drinkers (more than half of college
students), and more than 90% of alcohol consumed is during binge drinking (4). The data on alcohol abuse among college students is striking,
and we, as current and former college students, have all observed this behavior
first-hand.
There are social determinants that
help influence alcohol abuse and binge drinking among college students. People
who begin drinking with their family are at a much lower risk than people who
begin drinking outside of their home (5). Adults with more education and higher socioeconomic status or more
likely to drink moderately and have less problems related to alcohol, but
studies show that this does not hold true for adolescents (6).
The main determinants for adolescents are age group, peer group, and family
relationships (7). Throughout the general populations, college
students included, homeless people have much higher rates of alcohol abuse
(8). This is true in the U.S. and in many developed countries
around the world (9). As noted above, family relationships have
a huge impact on alcohol abuse. Students who are emotionally close with their
families are much less likely to abuse alcohol and binge drink that students
from dysfunctional families and even students who feel a “lack of parental
warmth,” (10). College students in the Greek system are much more
likely to use and abuse alcohol, while any type of religious involvement
decreases these risks (11). Men are more likely to binge drink
than women, and they are more likely to be influenced by peers to abuse alcohol
(12). Although this data is from 2009, and not what we defined as
“current” (up to four years old), we believe that it is still relevant in 2014
because, as of their last update this year on the topic of “young people and
alcohol,” ICAP (2014) still considers this data to be true (13).
Our culture has an enormous effect
on alcohol abuse in college students. In 2000, the Task Force on College
Drinking set up a discussion group of three high school students and eight
college students, all from different schools, to discuss alcohol use and abuse of
alcohol within the two populations (14). The main
connections noted were that there was alcohol use at parties and sporting
events (15). Students are “‘either studying or drinking a
lot,’” (16). Alcohol is almost always served at parties,
binge drinking is used as a way to relieve stress and the pressures of academic
competition, and students want to make their nights out “count,” furthering the
likelihood of alcohol abuse (17). Another factor is
prevalence of alcohol. Most colleges have an ample number of bars close to
campus, making alcohol very accessible (18). Alcohol can
also be a relatively inexpensive form of entertainment (depending on location),
and is often times cheaper than a movie or a meal, and so college students can
afford to abuse alcohol (19). On top of that, drinks are
free at Greek social events (20). This data is reiterated
by the University of Minnesota’s Department of Family Social Science (2013) in
their seminar for parents: Alcohol Use on
Campus. This seminar validates that Eastman’s information is still relevant
and current and also mentions risk factors for binge drinking that make high
school seniors more likely to drink in college (21). These risk factors are: “male, White, lower GPA,
conformity, higher levels of antisocial behavior, drinking to get drunk,
drinking to cope, expecting future use of alcohol, and quantity of time spend
with friends,” (22). This
seminar also notes that a huge problem is that young people consider alcohol
use, abuse, and binge drinking normal, temporary, and acceptable (23).
All is not lost. The Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) conducts an annual National Survey on
Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The goal of this data is to provide researchers
and communities with current information to help track trends and levels of
abuse and to facilitate prevention programs, effective treatments, and
interventions (24). There have been successful studies
proving that certain interventions are effective in reducing alcohol abuse
among college students. Colleges and universities can enforce rules related to
alcohol and provide alcohol-free places for students to gather. They can
restrict the sale of alcoholic beverage on campus and at campus events, and
they can provide education to students and parents about the risks of alcohol
abuse. However, about half of college students who drink do so by binge
drinking (25). Obviously, these prevention methods aren’t
promoting healthy alcohol practices. While regulation of alcohol sales and
providing safe places for students may help, interventions based on
motivational interviews are more effective in the long term (26). Brief interventions are
based on motivational interview techniques (27). In these
interviews, students are approached in a non-confrontational manner, and they
are asked to self-report their own drinking habits (28). The goal of these interventions is
to reduce harm, rather than to encourage abstaining from alcohol consumption (29). In a 2001 study conducted by Baer et al. (2001), a randomized
selection of college freshman who reported heavy drinking in high school were
assessed six months after their initial survey (the baseline) and then once a
year for four years (30). At the six-month mark and every year after, they
were asked to take the same survey (Rutgers Alcohol Problem Inventory) and had
subsequent phone interviews (31). These follow-up
interviews sought to highlight and discuss the discrepancies between the
participants’ “current behavior and their plans, goals, and aspirations,” (32).
The results of this study are astonishingly
positive. The control group (who did not receive interviews after being
surveyed) drank less and experienced fewer “negative consequences without
changes in drinking frequency,” (33). The students who
did participate in interviews self-reported even more reductions in the amount
of alcohol they consumed, in the frequency of their alcohol use, and in the
number of negative consequences resulting from drinking (34). The conclusion of this study: “brief individual preventive
interventions for high-risk college drinkers can achieve long-term benefits
even in the context of maturational trends,” (35). Here
are three figures showing the specific results of the study over the four-year
period (36):
A similar intervention was put in place at Penn
State in 2010. Their BASICS (Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for
College Students) program involves at least two one-hour meetings with a
University Health Services member, following the completion of an online
questionnaire (37). Dr. Alan
Marlatt, a researcher specializing in addictive behaviors and Professor of
Psychology at UW created the BASICS program in 2010, and it has proven to be
one of the most effective interventions among college students nationwide,
recognized by SAMSA as an “evidence-based model program,” (38). The BASICS program is evidence that Baer et al.’s
conclusion holds true today.
Alcohol abuse among college students is
extremely prevalent, but it is with interventions, education, and awareness
that we can help to combat this epidemic. The fight against alcohol abuse is a
winnable battle. The U.S. government’s Task Force on Community Preventive
Services researched multiple interventions in preventing alcohol abuse and
excessive alcohol consumption (39). One of those interventions included increasing the tax on
alcohol (40). Elder et
al. (2011) found strong, consistent evidence that increases in alcohol prices
and alcohol taxes are associated with decreases in both excessive alcohol
consumption and related harms (41). Other interventions that were recommended
were regulation of alcohol outlet density, maintaining limits on the days and
hours of alcohol sales, and electronic screening and brief intervention in the
healthcare and university setting—telephones, computers, and cellular devices
were used to screen individuals for excessive alcohol consumption, intervening
with consequences for excessive drinking (42). Some states are now specifically targeting alcohol
abuse, setting timelines for concrete achievements relating to this issue.
Colorado outlined that they hope to have a 3% decrease in the number of adults
who report binge drinking and a 5% decrease in the number of high school
students who report binge drinking by 2016 (43). Colorado is one of 10 states with a
Screening, Brief Interventions, and Referral to Treatment programs to combat
binge drinking and substance abuse (44).
Alcohol abuse among college students is a serious
problem, not least because it has been normalized in our society. Statistics
give us concrete proof of this, but we have also seen it with our own eyes. We
have seen abuse and binge drinking on both dry and wet college campuses, across
social classes, ethnicities, departments of study, and family backgrounds. We
know it first-hand, and we have experienced it first-hand. For the health of
our young adults, and for the health of our country, we have to combat this
issue head-on. With the proper interventions, we can successfully reduce
alcohol abuse among not only college students, but also the greater U.S.
population.
References
Baer, J., & Kivlahan, D. (2001, August ). Brief Intervention for Heavy-Drinking
College Students: 4-Year Follow-Up and Natural History. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1446766/
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. (2014, January 16). Alcohol
and Public Health: Fact
sheets- Underage Drinking.
Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/underage-drinking.htm
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. (2014, March 14). Fact
Sheets- Preventing Excessive
Alcohol Use. Retrieved
from http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/prevention.htm
Community
Preventive Services Task Force. (2014, October 31). Preventing excessive alcohol consumption. Retrieved from http://www.thecommunityguide.org/alcohol/index.html
Cronce, J. & Larimer, M. (n.d.). Individual-Focused Approaches to the
Prevention of
Eastman, P. (2002, April). The Student Perspective on College Drinking. Retrieved from
Elder,
R.W. et al. (2010, February). The Effectiveness of Tax Policy Interventions for
Reducing
Excessive Alcohol Consumption and
Related Harms. American Journal of Preventive
Medicine, 38(2), 217–229. Retrieved from http://www.thecommunityguide.org/alcohol/E
ffectivenessTaxPolicyInterventionsReducingExcessiveAlcoholConsumptionRelatedHarms.pdf
G Samuels. (2014, November 25).
Opposition to Lowering the Drinking Age. [Comic
International Center for Alcohol
Policies. (2009). Determinants of
Drinking. Retrieved from
International
Center for Alcohol Policies. (2014). 11.
Young People and Alcohol. Retrieved from
National Institute on Alcohol
Use and Alcoholism. (2005). Alcohol Alert.
Retrieved from
http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA66/AA66.htm
National Institute on Alcohol
Use and Alcoholism. (2014). College
Drinking. Retrieved from
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/special-populations-co-occurring-disorders/college-drinking
National Institute on Alcohol
Use and Alcoholism. (2014, November 16). Drinking
Levels
consumption/moderate-binge-drinking
National Survey on Drug Use and
Health. (2014, September 8). About the
Survey. Retrieved from
State
of Colorado, Department of Public Health & Environment. (2011). Mental Health and Substance Abuse.
Retrieved from https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/
default/files/CDPHE_Winnable-Battles-Mental-Health-and-Substance-Abuse.pdf
Task
Force on Community Preventive Services. (2010, February). Increasing Alcoholic
Beverage Taxes is Recommended to Reduce Excessive Alcohol Consumption and
Related Harms. American Journal of
Preventive Medicine, 38(2), 230-232. Retrieved from http://www.thecommunityguide.org/alcohol/IncreasingAlcoholBeverageTaxesRecommendedReduceExcessiveAlcoholConsumptionRelatedHarms.pdf
University Health Services.
(2014). Health Promotion and Wellness:
Brief Alcohol Screening and
Intervention for College Students (BASICS).
Retrieved from http://studentaffairs. psu.edu/health/basics/
University
of Minnesota Department of Family Social Science. (2013, November 27). Alcohol
Use on Campus: Why Students Drink.
Retrieved from http://www.cehd.umn.edu/
fsos/projects/alcohol/whydrink.asp
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