Reducing Alcohol Related Problems on Campus

According to the National Institutes of Health News, colleges and communities can reduce alcohol-related harm to students. In the Study to Prevent Alcohol Related Consequences, researchers found that a comprehensive intervention by the campus-community reduced the severe consequences of college drinking. Benefits of the intervention extended campus-wide, affecting not only the drinkers themselves but also those around them. Alcohol-related injuries caused by students decreased by 50 percent on participating campuses. Five universities in North Carolina put together campus coalitions who developed a strategic plan for each campus. In three years, the percentage of students reporting severe consequences decreased from 18 percent to 16 percent.  Also, reports of injuring another person while drinking decreased from 4 percent to 2 percent.