The Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that alcohol use is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States and results in approximately 79,000 deaths annually. College students are at particular risk of alcohol-related consequences due to their heavy drinking tendencies, with multiple studies indicating over 40%…

Alcohol use among college students has maintained its place as a major issue in American higher education since its inception. Although dangerous drinking has always proliferated among college students, institutions have only provided alcohol and other drug (AOD) education and interventions encouraging students to adapt less harmful habits for a…

The U.S. Department of Education's Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention publishes "Catalyst," a newsletter covering current Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence (AODV) prevention issues at institutions of higher education. "Catalyst" discusses emerging issues and highlights…

The nation's institutions of higher education continue to face serious problems with respect to student alcohol and other drug abuse and violence (AODV). For campus administrators, deciding how to respond effectively means understanding and taking into account both the complexity of these social problems and the individuality of each campus…

Discusses the charting of strategic indicators of campus alcohol abuse so that solutions are measurable and effective. Offers examples of indicators that boards can use to judge progress on curbing excessive drinking. (EV)

A pretest-posttest questionnaire was administered to 28 participants mandated to participate in a substance abuse program as a result of driving while intoxicated. The program incorporated both alcohol safety and substance abuse treatment. Participants showed a significant increase in willingness to accept responsibility for drinking and driving…

Evaluated effectiveness of the Alcohol Information School, a seven-hour classroom experience required for university students (n=31) who were involved in conduct violations while using alcohol. Results showed significant increases in knowledge and suggests long-term effects of decreased use and decreased incidence of problems associated with…

Assesses the impact of a group therapy program designed for first-time DWI (driving while impaired) offenders identified as alcohol disabled. Since completing treatment, 24% of the control group, identified as nondisabled (n=113), received subsequent DWI convictions, compared to only 11.6% of the experimental group, identified as disabled (n=33).…

Discusses the problem of alcohol abuse on college campuses and notes a current project of the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcohol Abuse to identify effective programs. Urges institutions to recognize the difficulty of changing the alcohol-reliant culture on most campuses and to examine ways in which the institution actually fosters this…

Due to a variety of internal and external events the Student Affairs Committee of Colby College (Maine) studied alcohol use on campus and recommended solutions in two major areas, educational and social. Five educational strategies were recommended: (1) development of clear policies regarding alcohol and other drugs; (2) enforcement of…

Reports an analytic review of 73 federally funded, college-based substance abuse prevention programs to determine the nature of impact. Most programs did not identify underlying prevention philosophy or theory but did report program purposes and objectives. Most programs reported some degree of institutionalization and significant policy changes.…

Discusses several postulates of empowerment theory particularly relevant to guiding the practice and analysis of substance-abuse prevention and education programs. The empowerment model predicts that the empowerment of students and staff will increase both the effectiveness and the longevity of programs. (EMK)

In response to ongoing concern about unacceptable levels of AOD (alcohol and other drug) use on campuses, in 1998 Congress authorized the Department of Education to identify and promote effective prevention through a model grants program. In 1999, OSDFS (Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools) launched an important component of the Department's…

This report presents descriptive and evaluative information on the Alcohol and Other Drug Program (A & D Program) developed at Pennsylvania's La Salle University and supported by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. The program includes an alcohol awareness project, a peer education program, a resident educator with A &…

Anonymous questionnaires administered to 1283 middle school/high school students and 930 college students revealed that most of these students viewed all types of alcohol intervention programs as somewhat effective in reducing alcohol abuse among youth. Analyses revealed that drinking motivations and behavior produced a significant effect on the…