<p>Researchers found that the speed with which college students become intoxicated, how long their intoxication levels are increasing, and their peak intoxication were each associated with experiencing an alcohol-induced blackout.</p> <p>Researchers analyzed data from an intensive […]
College Drinking
Effects and prevention efforts
College Campus-Community Interventions Successful
The Safer California Universities study found that the program reduced incidence and likelihood of intoxication at off-campus parties and bars/restaurants. Heavy drinking among college students results in over 1800 deaths each year, as well as 590,000 unintentional injuries, almost 700,000 assaults and more than 97,000 victims of sexual assaults. In a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers report on the results of the Safer California Universities study, a successful community-wide prevention strategy targeted at off-campus settings.
Binge Drinking Affects Ability to Learn
Binge drinking is prevalent among university students, especially in the United States. One brain structure particularly sensitive to alcohol's neurotoxicity during development is the hippocampus, which plays a key role in learning and memory. A study of the association between binge drinking and declarative memory – a form of long-term memory – in university students has found a link between binge drinking and poorer verbal declarative memory.
Energy Drinks A Dangerous Mix
Energy drinks, favored among young people for the beverages' caffeine jolt, also play a lead role in several popular alcoholic drinks, such as Red Bull and vodka. But combining alcohol and energy drinks may create a dangerous mix, according to University of Florida research.
Fewer Young Adults Drinking, But More Smoking Weed
Fewer college-age Americans drink alcohol, compared to nearly 20 years ago, according to a new study. Between 2002 and 2018, the number of adults aged 18-22 in the U.S. who abstained from alcohol increased from 20 percent to 28 percent for those in college and from about 24 percent to 30 percent for those not in school, say researchers at the University of Michigan and Texas State University. And alcohol abuse among both groups decreased by roughly half. However, the study found that the number of young adults using marijuana, as well as co-using alcohol and marijuana, has increased.
Blackout Drinking Reduced by Brief Counseling
Short, empathetic counseling sessions – known as brief motivational interventions (BMIs) – have been effective for reducing problematic alcohol use and drinking-related problems among college students. BMIs are delivered by a trained clinician and typically involve alcohol education and personalized feedback on the individual’s drinking behavior and consequences.
Peers Key to College Drinking Intervention
Peer approval is the best indicator of the tendency for new college students to drink or smoke, even if the students don't want to admit it, according to new research from Michigan State University.
This new finding is key to help universities address the problems of underage or binge drinking, said Nancy Rhodes, professor and lead author of the study published in the journal Health Education and Behavior.