VOLUME 12, NO. 1     JUNE 1998

Cheers! Binge drinking declines

study of the drinking habits of undergraduates at 116 colleges has put WPI in the forefront of the movement to provide students with healthy alternatives to alcohol and drugs.

First results of a recent Harvard School of Public Health survey show that binge drinking among WPI undergraduates went down 7 percent between 1993 and 1997 - a decline shared with only eight of the 115 other schools. The study defined binge drinking as four or more drinks in one setting for women and five or more for men. The figures for WPI men alone are even more impressive: 19 percent less than in 1993. WPI women, on the other hand, indicated they were drinking more and doing more binge drinking.

The survey indicates that campus life is changing for the better in some ways at the surveyed schools. Alcohol-related injuries dropped from 31 percent to 20 percent between 1993 and 1997, and there was a 5 percent reduction in the number of students who got into arguments or fights after drinking (30 vs. 25 percent).

WPI actively supports "A Call for Action: Changing Campus Norms," an innovative prevention program that focuses on creating a campus environment that supports and strengthens students' resistance to alcohol and other drugs. The program, under the auspices of the Healthy Alternatives Office, is directed by Mary Cox, director of drug and alcohol education, and Janet Begin Richardson, assistant vice president for student affairs. "For the last two years it has been partially supported by a FIPSE (Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education) grant.

"Our program isn't about prohibition," says Cox. "Our mission is to replace norms that support alcohol and drug abuses with drug- and violence-free alternatives, such as midnight basketball games, "Up All Night" finals week breakfasts, and "Rock the Halls" parties. The survey indicates that we are realizing successes in these areas."

Cox notes that traditional drug- and alcohol-prevention programs have dealt with the problem and not the solution. "Scare tactics and 'talking heads' may have worked 20-40 years ago, but there is clear statistical data that suggests that it is no longer an effective model to use with this generation of college students," she says. "Our prevention efforts work because we work together as an entire campus community and, most important, the students are a huge part of the prevention effort."

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