In popular culture, college parties are stereotyped as being wild keggers that last until everyone passes out or the cops break down the front door. “Animal House” created a genre that continues on to this day with movies like the “American Pie” series and “Van Wilder.” The largest nationwide study to date confirms that most college students overestimate the amount of alcohol their peers are drinking, which leads to negative consequences.
“Misperceiving the College Drinking Norm and Related Problems: A Nationwide Study of Exposure to Prevention Information, Perceived Norms and Student Misuse” was released in early September in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and contains data from more than 76,000 students attending 130 colleges and universities. The authors claim that “these misperceptions have the strongest impact on personal alcohol consumption and associated negative consequences.”
This means that when people think others are drinking in mass quantities they are more likely to think it is normal to do the same, which can lead to binge drinking and disciplinary problems.
The study reported that at schools where drinking abstinence was common, only 20 percent of students accurately perceived the drinking situation. Most students believe that drinking a large quantity of alcohol on a regular basis is normal for college students. In contrast, almost 60 percent of the students thought it was common for their peers to consume three or more drinks.
“Each one-drink increase in a student’s perception of the campus norm predicted almost a one-half drink increase in personal consumption,” according to the study.
Whether you agree with the finding of the report, one thing is certain, Pepperdine students contributed to these findings. The database used for the report came from an online prevention program, AlcoholEdu. The counseling center is encouraging Pepperdine freshmen with offering prizes to take two-and-a-half hours out of their lives to participate.
AlcoholEdu serves as the preventive strategy for more than a quarter of a million students. The program is gender specific — participants enter their sex and weight, which has an effect on the wording and types of questions asked. Students watch videos and participate in interactive role-playing. In addition, survey questions are asked throughout the program. After hearing the information, participants answer questions on the material that was covered.
Participants can test out of certain sections and fast-forward video segments. About a month after completing the program, participants receive a follow-up e-mail to evaluate if their drinking habits or perceptions have changed.
AlcoholEdu creators said they believe that by presenting students with information on alcohol, they “motivate behavior change, reset unrealistic expectations about the effects of alcohol, link choices about drinking to academic and personal success and help students practice healthier and safer decision-making,” according to their Web site.
The program does not preach to students. It encourages them to think about their perceptions of alcohol use.
Participating in the program may or may not affect a person’s choice to drink at a party. The real benefit of the program is the database of survey questions. Data from students who completed the program in 2004 show that there is an increase in knowledge: 71 percent said they now know more about blood-alcohol concentration and 44 percent of males now know more about how alcohol affects consent for sex. Students can be motivated by AlcoholEdu. The change in student behavior can be seen in the percentage of heavy drinkers who did not see a need for change has dropped almost 30 percent, according to the AlcoholEdu Web site.
If you took the survey this year, don’t complain about your wasted time. Know that even if you don’t change your own drinking habits, answers provide valuable statistical data.
Despite movies and research reports, there are many college students who will continue go to parties and consume alcoholic beverages. Take the time and contribute to a worthy endeavor.
9-29-2005