“Universities are often afraid to reveal that they have a problem with alcohol, although everyone knows it anyway. But we’ve seen important benefits from focusing on the problem and taking a tough stand. Applications are up, student quality is up, more students are participating in activities like drama and music, and alumni giving has increased. I know that support for the university has grown with our reputation for taking strong ethical positions and sticking with them.” ~Robert L. Carothers, President, University of Rhode Island
The fact is the percentages of deaths, accidents and injuries caused by alcohol abuse on college campuses has made a steady decrease over the past 10 years. However, the numbers of students who over indulge or abuse alcohol is still too high as evidenced by the lower quality of student life and the increased need for college administrators and campus security to keep students safe. Many schools have detailed policies in place for alcohol use on campus, yet students tend to overstep this policies. As we shared in the first part of this series, Alcohol on College Campuses: A Wake Up Call, the problem is not that students drink alcohol. As we know, alcohol is a legal substance. The problem with students drinking alcohol happens when binge drinking and underage drinking occur. Unfortunately, alcohol misuse is prevalent on college campuses, leading to drop outs, assaults, injuries, rapes and other issues.
What would it be like if instead of 37.4% of college students having 5 or more drinks in a row in the last 2 weeks was closer to 0%?
How would this add to the quality of student life, improve campus safety and most importantly, save lives?
As advocates of prevention and education, we believe it is possible to keep college campuses safer and lower the number of incidents caused by students’ use and misuse of alcohol.
More College Drinking Statistics
College students’ prevalence of occasions of heavy drinking (five or more drinks in a row in the past two weeks)—37% versus 30% among their age peers;
4 in every 10 college students (40%) report having been drunk in the prior 30 days. 3.9% report daily drinking;
College males report a slightly higher prevalence of getting drunk in the prior 30 days than college females (42% vs. 39%, respectively);
Among college students, the prevalence of having 10 or more drinks in a row in the prior two weeks was 7% for college females versus 23% for college males for the years 2005–2012 combined
Source: Monitoring The Future
Prevention and Intervention Takes Everyone
Substance abuse education and awareness are an important part of prevention and intervention. When it comes to the use of alcohol on college campuses, it takes everyone – from administrators to law enforcement to parents and the students themselves. Here’s how everyone on the college campus can work together to reduce the number of alcohol-related incidents and create a more wholesome environment for all students.
College Administrators and Advisors
It is important for every college or university to have clearly defined policies on alcohol and drug use on campus. Making sure students and parents can easily access the policies is also important. Some campuses have designated main common use areas of campus as Dry Zones, while some will not allow any advertisements that promote drinking or mention alcohol to be distributed on campus. What ever the policy, administrators can work along with law enforcement to educate students on the problems with excessive and underage drinking as well as the consequences of violating school policy and state laws for drug and alcohol use.
Parents
The biggest challenge with parents concerning their students’ consumption of alcohol is two-fold. First, many parents have no idea their child has even had a drink. But what is becoming more problematic is that too many parents actually support underage drinking, believing as long as an adult is present, it’s okay for a child under the age of 21 to drink. So when a child is allowed to drink at home, they expect to continue that same behavior at college. This is why it is important for parents to understand the college’s policy on alcohol and drugs and work along with the school to enforce the policy.
Students
In general, students who are underage know the law. It is illegal to drink alcohol if you are under the age of 21. However, students who are underage attend functions with students who are of age, making it harder for them to abstain. If you are a student is 21 or older, you can help prevent underage drinking by not serving or purchasing alcohol for under age young adults.
For students who are of the legal drinking age, know your limits! The average adult can only consume up to 3 drinks before they become intoxicated. Binge drinking is the number one reason students suffer injuries, assault and even death on college campuses. If you choose to drink, be responsible. No party, event or fraternity initiation is worth your life and health.
Even students who don’t drink alcohol can be a part of prevention and intervention. If you notice a student who has had more than a few drinks at one time, speak up. If you notice a party is getting out of control, contact campus police. Don’t turn away or cover up assaults or inappropriate activity that you see. By doing the right thing, you can save someone’s life as well as their reputation.
Want to Step Up and Help Out On Your Campus?
Follow this advice by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA):
Consider the following activities to get involved with the prevention of alcohol abuse and misuse and help make a difference on your campus:
- Become involved in current alcohol programs on campus. Openly support policy changes aimed at altering the culture of drinking on campus.
- Understand and become active in implementing strategies that target the entire study body, the campus and surrounding community environment, and the individual at-risk, problem, or alcohol-dependent student drinker.
- Work with the administration (through your health center) to help plan and implement interventions. For example, help your campus be involved in Alcohol Screening Day occurs every April (www.alcoholscreening.org).
- Work to improve joint campus-community efforts to limit student high-risk drinking.