Alcohol and Your Students
Information for Parents, Teachers, Advisors, Friends,
and Others Concerned About a Student’s
Use of Alcohol
Counseling & Psychological Services
UC
How much do today’s students drink?
 ACHA NCHA-II Fall 2009, >34,000 respondents
 Any use past 30 days
59%
 If used,
 median number of drinks
 driving after any drinks
 driving after 5 or more
 median BAC
5, male; 3, female
25%
3%
.05
(cognitive effects start at about.03)
alertnesss, concentration, judgment, inhibition
Some are heavier users
 NCHA-II:
 In past 30 days…
 used 1-9 days
 used 10-29 days
 used all 30 days
47%
11%
0.9%
 Last time “partied”:
drank 4 or fewer drinks
 drank 5 or 6
 drank 7 or more

38%
12%
15%
 NCHA-II:
 In past two weeks, drank 5 or more drinks in one
sitting…
 1-2 times
 3-5 times
 6 or more times
21%
7%
2%
It becomes abuse…
 Slutske, 2005
 3184 students ages 19-21
 Clinically significant problems
 Alcohol abuse
 Alcohol dependence
18%
11.9%
6.1%
esp. problems at home, school, work
and drinking then physically dangerous activities
Harmful effects of drinking
 During past 12 months
 did something later regretted
31%
 forgot where you were or what you did 27%
 had unprotected sex
15%
 physically injured self
15%
 got in trouble with police
4%
 physically injured someone else
3%
 had sex without giving consent
2%
 seriously considered suicide
2%
 had sex without getting consent
0.5%
 One or more of the above
47%
ACHA-NCHA-II
Academic Effects
 25% of college students report academic
consequences of drinking, including missing classes,
falling behind, doing poorly on exams and papers,
receiving lower grades
(several studies, reported in NIAAA Snapshot/College Drinking)
 “A” average
3.3 drinks per week
 “D” or “F” average 9.0 drinks per week
Community Effects
On campuses with >50% of students binge drinkers,
68.9% of non-binge drinkers said studying or sleep had
been affected since the beginning of the school year
>696,000 students 18-24 assaulted annually by drinker
11% students have vandalized property while drinking
2.1 million students drive under the influence
(NIAAA)
What is “normal” drinking?
 Moderate user…alcohol use does not exceed:
Men
2 drinking days per week
14 drinks per week
5 drinks per occasion
Women
1 drinking day per week
7 drinks per week
4 drinks per occasion
What about more than moderate use?
“At-risk” user exceeds the amount but no indication of
negative effects
Problem user/abuser exceeds the amount and has
negative effects
Dependent user shows abuse and 3C’s: compulsion to
use, loss of control, continued use despite
consequences
Binge Drinking
 Men
 Women
>5 drinks per sitting
> 4 drinks per sitting
Abuse and dependence
 In past 12 months
 Abuse (1 or more): drinking has repeatedly contributed
to risk of bodily harm, relationship trouble, role failure,
run-ins with the law
31% of students
 Dependence (3 or more) : not been able to cut down or
stop, kept drinking despite problems, spent a lot of time
on drinking, spent less time on other pleasurable or
important matters, shown signs of tolerance or
withdrawal (tremors, sweating, nausea, insomnia when
trying to cut down)
6% (NIAAA)
Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)
 NCHA-II:
 Students having one or more drinks last time they
partied (estimated using number of drinks, how
much time, sex, and weight)
> .08
34.3%
> .10
27.1 %
BAC Correlates
 Principle effects are on memory, coordination,
judgment
 Effects can last for substantial time after drinking
 REM sleep, hangovers
And it’s not just alcohol…
 Marijuana
 Cocaine
 Amphetamines
 Inhalants
 Sedatives
 Club Drugs
 Hallucinogens
 Opiates (pain meds)
Why do students use excessively?
 American culture
 College culture
 Social lubricant
 Self medication
What can you do to help?
 Ask about usage
 Educate
 Set expectations
 Enforce with consequences—within your role
 Refer/require treatment if indicated—within your role
 Send home—within your role
If you are concerned…
Ask
 ask your student about substance use, explaining
purpose is to assist; discuss/plan/troubleshoot
 and /or help your student to access simple tools for
screening
 (AUDIT-C, BAC calculator, Personalized Feedback)
Educate
 Discuss personal reasons and goals for college
 If substance abuse has been an issue in your family,
talk about it
 Provide resources about harm reduction and cutting back
 Counseling center website www.uc.edu/counseling
Life-enhancing workshops “Alcohol and Your Goals”
 Self-help information

 CAPS services



Personalized Feedback
Urgent Care
Counseling/Treatment
 Commission on Alcohol and Other Drug Education
(CAODE) website
 www.uc.edu/caode
Set clear expectations about behavior in writing
 Code of Conduct?
 Attendance?
 Academic performance?
 Safe behavior?
 Social functioning/rights of others?
Be pro-active…
Notice, communicate, enforce
 Pay attention to any signs of low functioning,
including missing or being late for classes or other
activities, poor grades, isolating, over-partying,
decline in personal hygiene, tiredness, odd behavior,
self-destructive behavior (cutting, risk-taking),
impulsivity, moodiness, irritability, aggression, large
weight changes, eating and sleep changes
 Bring it up
 I am concerned about you/I care about you
 I have noticed….
 Is there something I might help you with?
 Reiterate behavioral expectations, be clear about
time frame for improvement, expected behavior
(positively worded if you can—what the student
should do)
 Friendly but not a friend!
 Empathy but not enabling
Refer or require* evaluation or treatment
 Depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety
co-occurring disorders are high risk
 Suicidal thoughts or behavior
 Black out
 Medical emergencies:
Withdrawal—may need supervision
Alcohol poisoning (unconscious or confused; cold, clammy, pale, bluish skin; slow
or irregular breathing; vomit while passed out; seizure)
 *Parents can require; faculty and staff cannot except as part of a
University Judicial Affairs process
Taking time off from college to get treatment
 If problems are severe or persist
Endangering self or others
 Disrupting learning environment

From a mental health perspective
Treatment follows stages
 Pre-contemplation
 Contemplation
 Preparation
 Action
 Maintenance
 Recurrent Use
Consultations Welcome
 “Faculty, staff, family friends” on our website
 Call us for guidance in addressing your concerns
with your son or daughter
References
American College Health Association, National College
Health Assessment-II, fall 2009 data
www.acha-ncha.org
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
(NIAAA), A Snapshot of Annual High-Risk College
Drinking Consequences -2007
www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov
Slutske, W. (2005) Alcohol Use Disorders Among US
College Students and Their Non-College-Attending Peers.
Archives of General Psychiatry, 62, 321-27.
Counseling Center
 Confidential counseling for UC students – individual and
group
 Free walk-in urgent care services during business hours
 Consultation for faculty, staff, family, and friends
concerned about a student
 Workshops and presentations –
225 Calhoun St Suite 200
(513) 556-0648
www.uc.edu/counseling