AlcoholEdu used to combat binge drinking

10/7/2008

The Bowling Green News

The legal drinking age movement, called the Amethyst Initiative, began recruiting college presidents more than a year ago to incite national debate about the U.S. drinking age.

Presidents from schools such as Duke, Dartmouth, Syracuse, Tufts, Colgate, Kenyon and Morehouse, Ohio State and others are calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18, claiming current laws encourage dangerous binge drinking on campuses.

Delynne Wilcox, coordinator for Health Planning and Prevention Services at the University of Alabama, works with the Department of Health Promotion and Wellness at the Student Health Center and said the issue of binge drinking is one all college campuses face.

"Research shows the drinking style of many college students today is one of excess and intoxication, sometimes to the point of dangerous, life threatening blood alcohol concentration levels and alcohol poisoning," she said.

Wilcox said approximately 25 percent of college students report missing class, falling behind, scoring poorly on exams and a lower overall GPA due to the consequences of their drinking.

"I would like see students who choose to drink becoming more aware of how much

alcohol they are consuming - for students to make healthier decisions about alcohol and other drug use," Wilcox said. "Our primary goal is for students to be safe, healthy and academically successful."

In order to combat dangerous underage drinking, the university established strategic health team initiatives, which are approaches to address major student health-related issues.

"The strategic health team initiative is charged with shaping the campus culture toward healthier lifestyles and academic success," Wilcox said.

The strategic health team adopted the online alcohol education course, AlcoholEdu, as one of the foundations of alcohol prevention efforts. Alabama requires all first-year students to complete the AlcoholEdu course, which is an online course designed to teach students about the dangers of binge drinking, and how to avoid it.

Wilcox said the age variable is only one component of a larger issue regarding binge drinking on campus.

"Forty-four percent of college students are binge drinkers, and that statistic has held constant for a number of years now," Wilcox said. "599,000 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol. This gives us an opportunity to engage the college presidents and other administrative leaders from across the country in the issue of binge drinking. It forces us to take an honest look at the situation and realize that there is no easy solution."

Rosanna Guadagno, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at the university, said drinking while in college is typically considered a social norm.

"While drinking in college is common, it can become problematic when people engage in binge drinking," Guagagno said. Researchers believe that binge drinking occurs for two reasons, she said. "First, alcohol consumption inhibits people's ability to regulate their behavior. The more a person drinks, the harder it is to set limits on his or her behavior.

Second, sometimes people misperceive the social norm and think that everyone wants to binge drink when in fact most people do not."