CAMPUS ALCOHOL INTAKE DOWN,BUT STILL RATED SERIOUS PROBLEM - Vol.13 No.226 - Campus report

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Logic

Campus-based alcohol education efforts are reducing college drinking levels, yet administrators continue to view alcohol abuse as one of higher education’s most serious challenges. Two recent studies report fewer drinks among male students and sharper declines among women, alongside more widespread alcohol-awareness programming. Peer pressure, stricter social-event standards, and higher-impact education activities are credited with shifting attitudes, though heavy drinking remains a persistent risk.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

CAMPUS ALCOHOL INTAKE DOWN,BUT STILL RATED SERIOUS PROBLEM

Vol.13, No.226

Alcohol intake trends and peer pressure

Administrator survey findings

Recommendations and free study copies

LAX ON-CAMPUS ALCOHOL POLICIES COULD PROVE EXPENSIVE

White Paper on Student Alcohol Abuse

Liability risks and policy appraisal

Wednesday,November 20,1985 Vol.13,No.226 # CAMPUS ALCOHOL INTAKE DOWN,BUT STILL RATED SERIOUS PROBLEM Campus-based alcohol education programs are putting a cap on the drinking hab-its of college students,but administrators still rate alcohol abuse as one ofhigher education's biggest problems,according to two recent studies. Although still considered the heaviest drinkers in the United States,collegestudents have curbed their alcohol intake since the toga party heydays of the1970s,says a report by Gerardo Gonzalez,director of Boost Alcohol Consclous-ness Concerning the Health of University Students(BACCHUS),a national studentalcohol awareness organization.Gonzalez presented his survey during a recentnational conference at New York University on alcohol use at college anduniversity campuses. "Drinking surveys indicate that no other population group in the United Stateshas a larger_proportion of drinkers than the college student population,"wroteGonzalez."Both men and women drink more as they progress through college,and those who drink more also experience more alcohol-related problems.More-over,studies of student drinking have shown that alcohol use increasedsignificantly on campus until the mid 1970s,"a trend he says has reversed. Fewer Drinks Gonzalez backs his claim by citing the results of BACCHUS'sannual informal polls that indicate drinking among college males has dropped13 percent and has plunged 25 percent among coeds since 1981. Each year since 1981,BACCHUS has conducted a survey of 1,200 to 1,900 collegestudents during spring break in Daytona Beach,Fla.Each year,according tothe poll,the amount of student drinking has fallen.In 1981,the average malestudent polled consumed 53 alcoholic drinks a month and each woman 39.Thosenumbers had dropped in 1985 to 46 drinks for men and 29 for women. Oddly,Gonzalez credits the drop in drinking to good,old-fashioned peer pres-sure,which usually coerces teenagers to start drinking in the first place."It is not facts but peer pressure on campus that will change attitudes,"hesaid."Students need to know effects on their body's metabolism--drunkennessis no longcr considered good and fun." To further plug the tap on student drinking,Gonzalez suggested that new stan-dards be established for social events on campus,such as a "dry rush"policy,calling for no alcohol during fraternity and sorority recruitment. The trend Gonzalez uncovered was reinforced in a survey of college adminis-trators who say alcohol abuse is less of a problem than it was six years ago,but is still rated serious among the higher education community.(more) November 20,1985 # CAMPUS ALCOHOL INTAKE DOWN,BUT STILL RATED SERIOUS PROBLEM(Cont.) In that 1985 poll,28 percent of the administrators responding said they per-ceive the alcohol problem on campus as decreasing,up from 7 percent in 1979.In addition,88 percent of those polled said their campuses now have alcoholawareness programs,compared to the 69 percent who had such program in 1979. "The majority of campuses are doing more,and asking themselves 'Are we havingan impact?'”said Angelo Gadaleto,director of counseling at Radford Univer-sity,who,along with David Anderson of Ohio University,surveyed 330 collegeadministrators regarding alcohol use since 1979.The survey covered four is-sues:alcohol policies,institutional data,education and treatment,and refer-ral services. "If we want to change attitudes,we have to do more than brochures.We needactivities where [students]can interact,"Gadaleto concluded.Emphasis onspeakers,films,workshops and newspaper articles detailing the perils of al-cohol are fine,he said,but the frequency of the message is more important. "Even though we are showing a decrease,it's still a terrible problem,"hesaid."We have entirely too many students who are heavy drinkers." For free copies of the BACCHUS study,contact Gerardo Gonzalez,BACCHUS of theForU.S. Inc。 Univers1ty of F10rida, GainesV11le,Fla.326l1,(90439Z-

FAQs

What do the studies say about changes in college students’ alcohol intake?

They report a decline in drinking levels among college students, including fewer drinks for males and a larger drop for women since the early 1980s.

How does the article explain the decline in campus drinking?

It attributes the shift largely to peer pressure on campus and encourages students to understand alcohol’s harmful effects on the body’s metabolism.

Why do administrators still consider alcohol abuse a serious problem?

Despite decreases overall, campuses still have too many heavy drinkers, and alcohol abuse remains a major concern across higher education.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Logic