AOD Prevention

The Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Services coordinates a number of prevention efforts on campus. These prevention efforts range from programming to committees. All of our prevention efforts are rooted in the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s (NIAAA) report, “Call to Action: Changing the Culture of Drinking at U.S. Colleges.”

Summary of the NIAAA Task Force Report

On April 9, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) released a groundbreaking report, "A Call to Action: Changing the Culture of Drinking at U.S. Colleges." The report was prepared by the Task Force on College Drinking, a group of distinguished alcohol researchers, top higher education administrators, and college students. The report represents the first time these groups have joined together formally to address this issue, outlining the dramatic effects of high-risk drinking on college and university campuses and presenting a series of recommendations for effective prevention.

In the NIAAA report, researchers outline the problem of high-risk drinking on U.S. colleges and university campuses. Rather than defining the issue by examining the level of drinking among college students, the Task Force focused on the detrimental and damaging consequences of high-risk drinking.* Task Force member Ralph Hingson contributed some of the most dramatic findings included in the report. His research suggests that each year 1,400 college students die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries. In addition, alcohol is involved in 500,000 unintentional injuries, 600,000 assaults, and 70,000 cases of sexual assault and acquaintance rape.

In reviewing the causes of high-risk drinking on campuses, the Task Force described the problem as a "culture of drinking" among college and university students. The belief among students that high-risk drinking is a "rite of passage" is supported by long-held customs and traditions, alcohol industry promotions and marketing, and lax policies and enforcement of laws. In order to address this "culture of drinking," the Task Force recommends that campuses intervene on three different levels: (1) with the entire student body, (2) in the broader college and community environment, and (3) with the at-risk individual student. This work is best implemented in a comprehensive, coordinated fashion, working with a broad base of support from within the campus and the community.

While acknowledging a role for individual education and intervention efforts, this report is consistent with the Higher Education Center’s emphasis on a comprehensive environmental approach to college alcohol prevention.

(1) To address the problem among the entire student body, the report recommends changing several factors in the environment that supports high-risk drinking. The Task Force suggests the following as major environmental contributors to the problem:

• Widespread availability of alcohol to students
• Aggressive marketing and promotion of alcohol
• Excessive unstructured free time for students
• Inconsistent publicizing and enforcement of laws and policies
• Student perceptions that high-risk drinking is the norm

(2) To address the college and surrounding community environment, the Task Force recommends collective prevention efforts between the campus and the community. The report suggests that these two groups are more likely to collaborate when college student drinking is recognized as a problem affecting not only the campus but also the community.

(3) To target the individual at-risk drinker, the report suggests offering screening and intervention services, such as brief motivational interviews during emergency room and health center visits. Other interventions include screening individual students to assess and compare their drinking habits with those of other students.

The report identifies several researched-based strategies to address the problems on several different levels. Among those recommended are the following strategies:

• Increase enforcement of the minimum drinking age laws
• Offer "safe rides" programs
• Regulate cheap liquor promotions and happy hours
• Limit the density of alcohol outlets
• Raise taxes on alcoholic beverages
• Create and enforce policies on the responsible service of alcoholic beverages
• Form a campus and community coalition
• Correct student misperceptions about alcohol use through marketing campaigns

In recommending these strategies, the report cites the critical need for presidential commitment and support to implement prevention programs relevant to the campus and community. Presidents are most influential in creating change on campus; their visible leadership makes prevention efforts more effective. The Task Force also cites the need for student participation in developing sound and effective prevention policies.

Source: http://www.higheredcenter.org/niaaa/report.html

How do our AOD Prevention strategies line up to the NIAAA Task Force Report?

Those strategies that have a star next to them are those that are currently being implemented at the University of Connecticut.

Tier I

*Brief Alcohol Screening for College Students (BASICS).

Tier II

Increased Enforcement
Restriction on outlet density
Increased prices & taxes on alcohol
*Policies
*Community/Campus Coalition

Tier III

*AOD Policies (can be expanded)
*Consistently enforcing disciplinary sanctions for code violations
*Marketing Campaigns (can increase)
*Safe Rides Program
*Inform students and Parents of Policy
Regulate Happy Hours & Sales (State asst needed)

Prevention Excellence Award

The Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Services has also won the Outside the Classroom Prevention Excellence Award two years in a row for 2006 & 2007.

Please click on the link below for information on this award:
http://www.outsidetheclassroom.com/prevcomm/prevention_excellence/