The Efficacy of a University Drug Education Course on Factors That Influence Alcohol Use

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to assess the impact that a Drug Education course has on motives, consequences, attitudes, and perceptions regarding alcohol use in a sample of university students, and to discern if these parameters alter substance usage. There were a total of 121 respondents (32 male, 94 female). Following the course, students reported a slight elevation in the motivation to drink alcohol to facilitate studying. However, drinking because they enjoyed the taste, drinking to get drunk, and drinking to celebrate special occasions decreased significantly following the course. No significant differences were noted in patterns of drinking consequences or selected attitudes toward alcohol use. Students did, however, perceive alcohol to be a more dangerous substance in the post-test. No gender differences were observed.

Rating College Students' Substance Abuse: A Systematic Literature Review

“…It follows that different interventions may be optimal for different types of people. Also, some evidence suggested that traditional psychoeducational interventions, such as alcohol and drug courses, did not influence the students' behaviors in a meaningful way (Duitsman & Cychosz, 1997), indicating that peer norms using normative feedback might be more powerful.…”

“…It follows that different interventions may be optimal for different types of people. Also some evidence suggests that the traditional alcohol and drug course does not influence the students' behaviors in a meaningful way, indicating that brief interventions might be more powerful (Duitsman & Cychosz, 1997). Young adults are often opposed to considering mainstream abstinence-based treatment, and if they do seek treatment, traditional approaches appear less effective in this age group (Baer, 1993).…”