Binge drinking -- five or more drinks at one time -- declined 3 to 5 percent

[hoosier]

Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 7:41:47 AM PST





Alcohol abuse on campus declines
By Michelle Maitre, STAFF WRITER
Boozing it up is down at California State University campuses.

Preliminary findings in a report that will be presented Wednesday to CSU trustees indicates that a two-year effort to spread the word about the dangers of irresponsible drinking has helped curb alcohol abuse at the system's 23 campuses.

Data collected from individual campuses shows that alcohol use has declined between 5 and 10 percent over the past year. Instances of binge drinking, drunken driving and underage drinking have dipped, and campuses are seeing fewer alcohol-related misdeeds on campus, such as property damage and problems with drunken students in residence halls.

"We're really, really pleased with what's been happening the last two years," CSU spokeswoman Colleen Bentley-Adler said. "It appears there's been a decline in drinking by students and these programs on campus appear to be working."








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The report is part of an effort at CSU that made curbing alcohol abuse a priority after an 18-year-old CSU Chico freshman died in 2000 following a night of heavy drinking. Also that year, two fraternities were expelled from San Diego State after young pledges participating in hazing rituals were hospitalized with alcohol poisoning.

CSU's efforts at reducing alcohol consumption have received national attention, the report says. Since the effort was launched in 2001, campuses have received a combined $1.2 million in grants from the state Office of Traffic Safety and Alcoholic Beverage Control, which enforces liquor laws. Money has been used to expand informational campaigns and peer counseling efforts, as well as work in the community to promote responsible drinking messages.

Cal State Hayward received $55,873 from the Office of Traffic Safety, and the money has been used to beef up campus policies on drinking, as well as fund a new program that trains student counselors and sends them to Hayward middle schools and high schools to offer presentations on avoiding alcohol, said Maggie Gaddis, CSU Hayward health educator.

Gaddis said an important part of the campus' efforts centers around "social norming," which tries to change student misconceptions about how much their peers are drinking. The knowledge can help reduce social pressures that lead students to abuse alcohol.

The Hayward campus also surveyed students on their drinking habits in 2001 and will conduct another survey in October to see how attitudes have changed since the expanded effort began.

Other CSU campuses have already finished similar assessments, and a preliminary analysis shows that the expanded efforts have had some success.

According to CSU's findings:

- The median number of drinks consumed by students each week declined by 5 to 10 percent between 2002 and 2003;

- Alcohol-related misconduct declined by 10 to 15 percent and there was a 20 to 25 percent reduction in the number of alcohol-related judicial cases;

- Drunken driving incidents declined by 20 to 30 percent; and

- Binge drinking -- five or more drinks at one time -- declined 3 to 5 percent.

Bentley-Adler said peer education is an important part of efforts to curb drinking.

"It's students talking to other students, saying if you drink, drink responsibly," she said.