July 1, 2009

University educates students about alcohol

As the new school year approaches and freshmen-to-be visit campus for orientation, CSU Monterey Bay is taking steps to reduce incidents of high-risk drinking and increase alcohol awareness, especially among students under the legal drinking age of 21.

Gary Rodriguez, prevention specialist with the Personal Growth and Counseling Center, and Andy Klingelhoefer, judicial affairs officer, are making presentations at orientation sessions. The voluntary 30-minute sessions, called Myth Busters, were added to freshman orientation as a result of an initiative from the Chancellor’s Office.

The goal is to inform and empower freshmen to make good choices concerning alcohol.

A handful of students showed up at the first session, but the second session was packed – at least 60 students filled the chairs, sat on the floor and crowded along the back wall of a University Center conference room.

“We’re not here to scare you, to tell you that drinking is bad. The reality is that you as college students will make choices in your life,” Rodriguez told the students. “We want to make sure that the choices you make are based on facts.”

Students were handed a quiz containing five statements and were asked if those statements were myth or fact: (1) Beer gets you just as drunk as hard liquor.

(2) If I’m 18 and my roommate is 21, it’s OK to have alcohol in my room.

(3) There is a correlation between the amount of alcohol a college student consumes and his/her academic performance.

(4) Anyone who passes out from drinking too much should be put to bed and allowed to sleep it off.

(5) Men and women, when drinking the same amount of alcohol, will experience the same reactions.

Rodriguez asked them to guess what percentage of CSU Monterey Bay students drink. The estimates were high – one young man thought 95 percent of students imbibe. The reality is much different – a recent survey of CSUMB students revealed that 43 percent of them chose not to consume alcohol at all, meaning that only 57 percent drink.

This information is important because studies show that many college students, particularly freshmen, believe their peers drink more than they do, which makes them drink even more. But if they know what their peers actually consume, they'll follow that social norm.

“Social norms” education programs seem to work. A recent study at the University of Missouri, conducted after it started a social norms program, found that binge drinking on campus has dropped nearly 11 percent. Administrators stress that a social-norms approach doesn't work in a vacuum – it’s most successful when combined with alcohol education and enforcement programs.

The session concluded with a reminder of the services and resources available through the campus Personal Growth and Counseling Center. Center staff members also give presentations at the start of the school year as part of Otter Days, visit First Year Seminar classes, and team with other campus offices such as Residential Life, Student Activities and the university’s police department to hold a variety of programs during National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week in October.

The answers:

(1) Fact. A 12-oz. beer has as much alcohol as an ounce of 100-proof liquor or 4 oz. of wine.

(2) Myth. Everyone in the room, suite or apartment must be 21 for alcohol to be allowed.

(3) Fact. National surveys have shown that about one-third of college students report missing a test or deadline because of alcohol. Students who earn A’s report having 3.5 drinks per week, on average. Those who earn D’s and F’s report consuming on average more than 10 drinks per week.

(4) Myth. Alcohol poisoning is real; people die from it. Don’t worry about getting your friend in trouble; call 911.

(5) Myth. Alcohol affects men and women differently, even if they weigh the same. If a man and a woman who are the same size drink at the same rate, the woman’s blood alcohol content will be higher. Of course, blood alcohol content can also be affected by genetic factors, food intake, medication, age and hormonal changes.