Preventing Binge Drinking on College Campuses
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Drinking at college has long been thought of as a rite of passage. Students turn to alcohol expecting a good time and a relief from social anxiety, but far too often, this “campus experience” has lasting and even deadly consequences. That’s because college students are especially vulnerable to binge drinking—a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings one’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08% or higher.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Addiction (NIAAA), binge drinking typically equates to having five or more alcoholic drinks in a two-hour period for males, and four or more drinks in a two-hour period for females. At this level of drinking, the risks are great: students are more likely to miss classes, perform poorly on schoolwork, be involved in a physical or sexual assault, and contract a sexually transmitted infection. And because binge drinking can lead to much greater impairment, it drastically increases the risk of death from car crashes, falls, drowning, and other accidents.
Despite these risks, the trend of binge drinking at college continues: in SAMHSA’s 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 33% of college students reported that they had engaged in binge drinking within the past month. It’s time for parents, universities, and college communities to explore new strategies for preventing binge drinking on college campuses.
What Can Colleges & Universities Do?
Colleges and universities have a great responsibility to keep students safe on campus, and schools have been increasing their efforts to prevent binge drinking. While restricting students’ access to alcohol typically has the greatest effect, there are many other strategies which are currently being tried, including:
- Requiring students to complete alcohol education and awareness programs before or shortly after they move on campus.
- Prohibiting alcohol advertising and sponsorships on campus.
- Prohibiting the sale and use of alcohol at school sporting events.
- Increasing the number of alcohol-free social events and recreational options offered on campus.
- Mandating one-on-one counseling for students who violate the school’s alcohol policies.
To make sure students and families understand the university’s rules regarding alcohol on campus, policies must be written clearly, discussed frequently, and enforced consistently. Make sure your policies are posted on the school’s website where they are easy to find. If your alcohol policies need to be updated, visit the NIAAA’s College Alcohol Intervention Matrix (CollegeAIM), where you can compare the ratings of prevention strategies and interventions to choose the best possible mix of solutions.
What Can Parents Do?
When your child leaves for college, parents might feel—among many other emotions—that they no longer have a say. But the truth is, the opinions of their parents continue to influence students’ behavior even when away from home. This is not the time to become distant!
Stay engaged with your child through regular phone calls or visits, and keep the line of communication open. Let your child know that you’re aware of the social pressure they may face—alcohol may be widely available, and it may seem like all of their peers are not only drinking, but drinking heavily.
Provide some straightforward, non-judgmental facts about the dangers of binge drinking. You can prepare for these conversations by visiting www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov, a website from NIAAA that provides research, statistics, and fact sheets, as well as an interactive body tool that demonstrates how alcohol affects different organs.
While this topic should ideally be discussed regularly throughout your child’s college career, the most critical time to talk about binge drinking is during the summer before their freshman year. The greatest risk period for heavy drinking is during the first six weeks of the school year, when students are new to campus life, and may be struggling to adjust or fit in.
Finally, as a parent, you should learn the signs of a drinking problem, and keep tabs on your child to see if they begin exhibiting any of the telltale signs or symptoms. Don’t wait until it’s too late to get your child help if they need it.
What Can Communities Do?
Communities may feel that on-campus binge drinking is a problem that should be addressed by the college alone. Yet preventing binge drinking on college campuses makes the entire community stronger and safer, with fewer drunk drivers on the road and a reduced strain on law enforcement and medical resources. To this end, there are many policies and strategies that can be put in place to prevent binge drinking and help keep students safe.
A top priority for communities should be reducing the availability of alcohol, according to the NIAAA. Research shows that when alcohol is less readily available, college students drink less, and incidents on campuses decrease. This can be done by limiting the number of community establishments that serve and/or sell alcohol. In addition, studies have shown that college students’ use of alcohol decreases when:
- Liquor stores strictly enforce a policy of checking every ID on every purchase.
- Liquor store hours are restricted.
- Restaurants and bars restrict alcohol-focused “happy hour” promotions.
Studies have also found that college drinking decreases when the cost of alcohol is increased, or maintained at a set threshold. Local government can enact an alcohol tax to raise its cost, and/or set a minimum unit pricing on alcohol, which prevents reduced-price promotions at bars and restaurants.
Ultimately, there’s not a one-size-fits-all strategy for preventing binge drinking on college campuses. Each college and each community is unique, so prevention strategies must be rooted in a strong awareness of the environment, the perceptions of students, and current trends. The best prevention strategies combine the efforts of colleges, parents, and the community—when these forces work together, college students stay safer.