Alcohol consumption among students

Ending the day with a drink on a terrace, having a drink to unwind, getting “tipsy” at parties…

 

Alcohol consumption among students is a real institution. But let’s not forget that alcohol, drunk in large quantities, is dangerous to health.

 

From occasional drinkers to more regular party-goers, more than 80% of students drink alcohol. According to the 2021 USEM survey (Union nationale des mutuelles étudiantes régionales, the French union of regional student health insurers), 20% of students are excessive drinkers, 39% of them have already been aware of having drunk too much, and 11% of those say they drink with the intention of getting drunk.

 

This practice often follows a particular initiation, at a freshers’ party or through binge drinking. So how can we deliver effective prevention to this young audience?

 

“Binge drinking”: a driver of social bonding?

 

Known as “biture expresse” in French, binge drinking can be an initiation ritual at the start of the academic year, or part of student parties where alcohol is present. At this kind of event, drinking alcohol is meant to be a driver of social bonding, making it easier to meet people by lowering inhibitions. Among students, alcohol is generally seen in a positive light because it is associated with notions of festive pleasure.

Some will say that we’re happier when we drink… that alcohol helps us forget our shyness a little; that it’s easier to let go, talk to others and do things we wouldn’t dare do without alcohol.  So it’s hard for some students to imagine a party without alcohol…

 

Why is alcohol at the heart of freshers’ integration weekends (WEI)?

 

Alcohol is often seen as a facilitator of social relationships. In some selective programmes (business or engineering schools, health studies, etc.), these integration weekends come after one or more years of intensive work to prepare for the entrance exam.

This creates a kind of release that blows away the limits people had set themselves until then. Those who aren’t used to drinking alcohol are put in a vulnerable position and can end up drinking excessively, encouraged by other classmates they don’t know.

 

Some students drink to forget their problems

 

 

 

 

Other realities, rarer but unfortunately present: for some students, drinking alcohol is a way of fighting a negative situation such as stress, loneliness or fear of the future. While some doctors claim that one drink a day is good for your health, excessive consumption can have serious repercussions on the whole body.

Whether it’s to have fun or to forget your troubles, let’s not forget that alcohol is dangerous to health.

How can we deliver effective prevention to this young audience?

 

Prevention initiatives must help reduce risk-taking. We know, for example, that peer prevention, by other students who have already been made aware and trained, works well.

 

Likewise, it’s useful for the teams responsible for keeping student events safe to be at the heart of these schemes. In direct contact with young people, they need to follow a harm-reduction strategy. For example, by being present at parties to give basic advice that helps limit the damage: “don’t drink too fast”, “drink some water”, etc.

 

We also need to find resource people to suggest avoidance strategies for those who aren’t used to drinking, or who don’t want to: how to find your place at a party without drinking; keeping a glass in your hand without necessarily having alcohol in it, etc. Prevention has to be effective over the long term to break the positive image alcohol has among students.

 

 

 

To avoid the effects of a hangover, the best solution is still to favour moderate, occasional consumption.

 

As a reminder, the recommended limits (according to the WHO) are 2 drinks a day, and not every day!

Sources:

 

• Chung, T. (2018). Adolescent binge drinking. Alcohol Research. Published.
• Com-Ruelle, L. (2013). Les jeunes et l’alcool : évolution des comportements, facteurs de risque et éléments protecteurs. Question d’économie de la santé. Published.
• Dequiré, A. F. (2013). L’alcool et les jeunes : état des lieux. Journal du droit des jeunes. Published.
• Hwang, C. L.,et al. (2020). The effects of repeated binge drinking on arterial stiffness and urinary norepinephrine levels in young adults. Journal of Hypertension, 38, 111‑117.
• Morrison, C. N., et al. (2019). Exposure to alcohol outlets, alcohol access, and alcohol consumption among adolescents. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 205, 107622.