Before arriving at AU, 59 percent of Class of 2014 students classified as high-risk drinkers reported they had no desire to change their drinking habits.
But nearly 40 percent of this group changed their minds after completing an online alcohol education course required by AU for all new undergraduates, according to Associate Dean of Students Michelle Espinosa.
AlcoholEdu is an online alcohol prevention program that builds students’ knowledge of alcohol through interactive lessons, narratives and “what would you do” scenarios. The program also utilizes a personal planning tool that allows students to set personal goals based on their drinking choices.
The program identifies students who would be considered high risk, moderate, light or non-drinkers based on their self-reports of how much they drink and how often.
AU began using the program for incoming students in the summer of 2009.
At AU, all new students must complete the first round of AlcoholEdu online testing before they come to campus. The students complete the second round of testing six weeks later.
AlcoholEdu is utilized by 65 to 70 percent of college campuses nationwide, according to health educator Kate DiEmidio.
Results from the first round of testing indicate that incoming AU freshmen drink at lower rates than the national average for entering college freshmen, according to Espinosa.
Espinosa said that this year’s AlcoholEdu report is not final yet. The final analysis and interpretation of the results will probably be available by late March, she said.
Espinosa said that the AlcoholEdu program changes students’ understanding of the effects of their drinking and their risk level.
“Even for students who are high-risk drinkers, it helps them understand why they might need to change their drinking habits,” she said. “They might not go from high risk to non-drinkers, but our hope is that they certainly will go from high risk to light or moderate, from a safety or harm reduction standpoint.”
DiEmidio said that it is important for non-drinkers to also receive alcohol education, because they might encounter someone, perhaps a friend, who has had too much to drink and requires assistance. DiEmidio said that the AlcoholEdu program teaches students how to identify the signs of alcohol poisoning and how to help someone who is dangerously intoxicated.
Espinosa said that after the program, students indicated a stronger interest in practicing safer habits by reducing their number of drinks, avoiding drinking games, alternating alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, reducing the frequency of their drinking and allowing for more time to pass in between alcoholic beverages.
llandau@theeagleonline.com
CRITICAL SIGNS OF ALC0HOL POISONING
1. Mental confusion, stupor, coma or person cannot be roused 2. Vomiting 3. Seizures 4. Slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths per minute) 5. Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths) 6. Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin color, paleness
SOURCE: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
