Preventing Alcohol Problems Among College Students:
A Campus and Community Resource Guide

The Prevention Research Center of the
Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation

Drinking among college students has long been a source of serious health and social problems. These include acute problems, such as alcohol poisoning and alcohol related traffic crashes, as well as long range problems, such as academic failure and chronic alcohol abuse. The US government as well as states, private foundations, and concerned parents and students have brought attention to this problem. Research has been carried out to measure the magnitude and nature of the problem and to identify effective interventions.

Much of the most promising research points to the importance of coordinated efforts by colleges and communities to change the ways in which alcohol is advertised, promoted, sold, and served to young people. Following is a list of on-line resources that can provide information and ideas for action.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov

This website, sponsored by NIAAA, provides information for college administrators, parents, students, and others who are concerned about college drinking. Among other useful tools, it includes information about alcohol policies on campuses across the nation.

The US Department of Education’s Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention
http://www.edc.org/hec/

This website provides information about the Department of Education’s work in higher education and includes access to a wealth of relevant publications.

A Matter of Degree

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/amod/

A Matter of Degree: The National Effort to Reduce High-Risk Drinking Among Students (AMOD). AMOD is a 10-campus initiative to reduce high-risk drinking and alcohol-related incidents among college students. It is funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by the American Medical Association’s Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse. The program seeks to foster collaborations between schools and their surrounding communities to change environments around campuses that promote heavy alcohol consumption.
In a mid-project evaluation of the ten AMOD schools, a Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) study found reductions in drinking rates and alcohol-related harms at the five schools that most closely implemented the AMOD environmental management model.
To access the HSPH press release about the AMOD evaluation, read the journal abstract, and download a PDF version of the journal article, visit
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/cas/Documents/amod-pressRelease/.

The Prevention Research Center (PRC): Resources in Action

http://www.resources.prev.org

This website provides information about the research being carried out at PRC, including research on college drinking as well as other relevant alcohol issues, including underage drinking, alcohol availability, and alcohol advertising.

The Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center (UDETC)

http://www.udetc.org

The Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center is funded by the US Department of Justice and located at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. The website includes information about activities in communities around the country (including college communities) devoted to preventing underage access to alcohol. The website includes a number of practical guides to enforcing underage drinking laws and changing alcohol environments.

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