The Illusion of College Drinking

Erik Strand writes an article on the misconceptions of college drinking. According to a study held at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, clearing to misconceptions they can reduce alcohol consumption on campuses. Saying that the drunk frat boy is a myth and when students found out that their fellow classmates were not the heavy drinkers they thought, they cut back on their own drinking.

Robert Foss of the UNC Highway Safty Research Center measured blood alcohol concentration of 2,00 students returning to their living areas on a party night. They found that two out of three students hadn't had any alcohol to drink. Mondays - Wednesdays 85% had no alcohol.

Then the researchers publicized their findings by talkins and posters distributed on campus to every dormroom. When the students were polled again 91% had herad the slogan. Student drinking had declined. The average numnber of drinks consumed by the drinkers went from 5.1 to 4.3.

This article was basically talking about how social norms can shape how other behave. I think can be important, there seems to be a way to reduce the number of college students who consume alcohol. It may not stamp out college drinking all together but it's a step forward to reducing it.

Strand, Erik. The Illusion of College Drinking. 16 Dec 2008. Psychology Today Online. March 22, 2009.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-3045.html