Alcohol Use and Misuse on Campus

Helping students make healthier decisions around the use of alcohol is an important initiative for institutions across the country as they look to prevent misuse and promote student well-being.

To support college and university leaders in these efforts, Vector Solutions has aggregated and anonymized hundreds of thousands of student survey responses from pre-course and post-course surveys associated with the Vector AlcoholEdu for College online program for college students.

This data was collected between June 2021 and May 2022 and reveals several promising findings. It also helps to identify areas in which colleges can proactively focus their attention. Here are some highlights:

More Students Are Abstaining From Alcohol

The data revealed the positive finding that more students are choosing to regularly abstain from alcohol or are choosing to drink infrequently. More than half of the respondents reported no alcohol use in the past year and one in four reported no alcohol use in the past two weeks. Their reasons for not drinking include:

They’re going to drive (45%)
They’re not old enough to drink legally (42%)
They don’t like the taste (32%)
It interferes with schoolwork (27%)
It’s against their personal values (21%)

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When designing prevention strategies, choosing messaging that highlights positive data and the reasons why students choose not to drink can reinforce positive behaviors and may help more students make similar choices. In addition, being underage as a deterrent to drinking underscores the role that law and policy play for these students, and therefore the need for consistent policy enforcement efforts.

The Importance of Early Prevention

The data also highlights the importance of preventative efforts early in the school year. The Vector survey found that negative student behaviors relating to alcohol and other substances and their perceptions about how often their peers are using alcohol increase after they arrive on campus. This is often called the “college effect,” a term describing the impact of the college environment on substance-related attitudes and behaviors.

Over a 30–45-day period after arriving on campus, students reported relative changes in behaviors, including:

50% increase in the two-week prevalence of stimulant use without a doctor’s order or prescription
11.8% increase in the two-week prevalence of cannabis use without a prescription

The data also showed relative increases of:

32% of the students believe that most peers on their campus consume alcohol on a regular basis. This number increased despite the data showing, as mentioned earlier, that more students are abstaining from drinking alcohol or are drinking it infrequently.
41% of the number of students say the use of alcohol by other students on their campus has made them feel unsafe or unwelcome, with more Students of Color reporting this experience.

The Vector survey also revealed that more students experience negative outcomes from drinking after their first month and a half on campus than prior to their arrival. For example, students reported relative increases of:

20.9% in forgetting where they were or what they did (blackouts).
13.7% in doing something they regretted.
9% in getting involved in a physical fight or injuring another person.

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The data highlights the importance of conducting thoughtfully developed prevention efforts early on in the school year and the role that campus environment and culture play in supporting high-risk behaviors. Prevention outreach and messaging prior to and during the first several weeks of students arriving on campus can be a powerful way to combat the negative behaviors and outcomes, that can occur early on in a student’s college experience. Promotion and reinforcement of positive attitudes and behaviors should be prioritized for these types of efforts.

Misperceptions Exist About Prescription Drug Misuse

Significant misperceptions exist about prescription drug misuse too. The Vector survey revealed that although 76% of students believe their peers have used prescription drugs without a prescription, in reality:

0.1% or fewer students actually reported using opiate-type drugs without a doctor’s order or prescription.
0.3% reported using stimulants for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder without a doctor’s order or prescription.
0.1% reported using Benzodiazepines (a class of depressant drugs such as Xanax and Valium) without a doctor’s order or prescription.

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These misperceptions can impact students’ own behavior. An individual is more likely to refuse an offer to use a substance if they believe they are supported in that action by the majority. Colleges and universities can counter these misperceptions by sharing data that challenges what students believe to be the prevalence and social acceptance of prescription drug misuse.

Students Are Taking Safety Precautions

In addition to revealing that more students are abstaining from alcohol or are drinking only occasionally, the Vector survey data also revealed another promising finding: that the majority of students who do choose to drink are engaging in strategies to ensure their physical safety. For example:

91% reported making plans to avoid driving after drinking.
87% keep track of where their drink is at all times.
88% prevent friends from driving under the influence.
81% use a designated driver or ride-share service.

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Whether students choose to drink or don’t drink but are around those who do, reinforcing and promoting these safety strategies can help all students avoid some of the negative outcomes described above.

Non-white and Non-cisgendered Students

Understanding the needs and experiences of all students on campus can help college and university leaders provide appropriate support aimed specifically at higher-risk sub-populations. Our survey found that certain marginalized populations have personal experiences related to substance use that are distinct from the general population. For instance:

The number of non-cisgendered students who are in active recovery from a substance use disorder is nearly 4 times the number of the total population (4.7% vs 1.6%).

Of students who reported drinking in the past two weeks, more non-white students reported getting involved in a physical fight or injuring another person (7.8% vs 2.2%). This is consistent with national research identifying that although non-white students drink less than their white peers, they experience greater alcohol-related harms.

These data – including findings referenced earlier in this piece- show that institutions must think beyond a “one size fits all” approach when it comes to providing services around alcohol and substance misuse. It also highlights the connection between substance misuse and diversity and inclusion. Collecting data to help identify students with greater vulnerability to substance-related problems and then looking for opportunities to work with cultural and affinity groups to address gaps in services can have a significant impact on at-risk students.

Education Has a Big Impact

Pre- and post-course data show that the Vector AlcoholEdu for College program was effective in shifting student perceptions of their peers' attitudes and behaviors. For instance:

Prior to the course, 84% of students said they would intervene if they witnessed someone being harassed by another intoxicated individual or group, but only 66% believe their peers would do the same. Following the course, that number increased to 75%, a relative increase of 13%.
Prior to the course, 59% of students believed that most of their peers consume alcohol on a regular basis. Following the course, that number decreased to 50%, a relative decrease of 15%.

This data demonstrates that including actual prevalence rates of alcohol use in the AlcoholEdu curriculum can reset misperceptions. However, in order to have lasting impact, such information needs to be reinforced by institutions through programs and policies that support the same message.

When it comes to prevention, data is a powerful tool. Understanding national trend data around alcohol and other substance misuse while identifying the needs and experiences unique to one’s own campus, can guide colleges and universities in creating more comprehensive and effective prevention plans. Combining education with other prevention strategies that reinforce safety, combat negative perceptions/misperceptions, and that highlight positive behaviors, will help colleges and universities create safe, welcoming campuses for all students.

About the data: The above Alcohol and Substance Misuse data was collected between June 2021 and May 2022 and includes data from 651,895 survey responses. Of those, 62% were white, 75% were heterosexual or straight, 40% were men and 56% were women.

Alcohol Use and Misuse on Campus

To get more insights from Vector’s recently released 2022-23 data, download “the Alcohol Use and Misuse on Campus” report below.

Download Report

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A View into the State of Alcohol Use and Misuse on Campus

July 17, 2023

Resource: Blog Industry: Higher Education
Tags: Online Training, Prevention, Student Training