Twelve-Plus Years of Secondary and Tertiary Alcohol and Other Drug Use Prevention Programming on a College Campus: Making the Case for Risk-Matched Education

Abstract

The use of alcohol and other drugs (AOD) among young people is pronounced within college student populations. Therefore, prevention-based strategies to reduce the use and misuse of AOD are important. A thorough literature review of research-based AOD education programming aimed at students is included. In addition, a longstanding university AOD program to assist students with indicated use concerns is described, where the evolution of effective education programming to assist in the prevention of AOD use and misuse are shared. An AOD program description also includes examples of educational implementation, its evolution over time, and program evaluation. A case for assessed-risk-based education programming is made utilizing the Program as a backdrop. Suggestions for broadening holistic prevention programming on college campuses are discussed, including prevention that includes students in recovery.ranged from 1500 to 1700 per year for 18-24-year-olds [4]. Young adults who use AOD also risk brain development consequences. The associations between adolescent AOD use and changes in overall brain functioning and long-term impacts on cognition long term are well-established [6].Therefore, to successfully combat student binge drinking, campus AOD use prevention programs could benefit from the use of evidence-based programming matched to campus demographic needs.Effective prevention interventions for young adults on college campuses could have immediate results on increased student retention rates, improved academics and lower the incidence of adults diagnosed with AOD use disorders later in life. The purpose of this article is to highlight how a 12-year implemented program at a western Pennsylvania public university utilizes evidence-based practices, grounded in assessed needs. In so doing, this article will note the importance of effective strategies for determining college student levels of AOD use as a pre-cursor to sound individualized education delivery, therefore providing a case for implementing AOD prevention programming. AOD Use Secondary/Tertiary Prevention on College CampusesOverall, campus AOD prevention is aimed at student alcohol use including reductions in underage use and binge drinking rates. However, primary prevention programming usually focused on entire campus populations (e.g. social norm campaigns) alone may not be enough. In fact, Gintner and Choate [7] showed evidence that primary prevention alone for college students who binge drink falls short of meeting their needs. According to Hart and Ksir [8] comprehensive prevention of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use should include primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention efforts. Primary prevention on college campuses is aimed at the entire population, whereas secondary and tertiary prevention is aimed at students with indicated AOD use. For example, students with secondary prevention needs are those with an underage drinking charge, whereas students with tertiary prevention needs might have received multiple alcohol-related violations and have a...