The Office of Health Promotion is committed to preventing the negative consequences associated with alcohol use among Carleton students. We take a public health approach to preventing underage alcohol use, with a specific focus on reducing the levels of reported high-risk drinking.
Why is Preventing Alcohol Abuse Important?
- Negative consequences associate with binge-drinking are detrimental to both short term and long term health. (See research-based information on drinking and its impact from the National Institutes of Health.)
- Students who binge-drink at least once a week tend to have a lower GPA than those who do not binge-drink, even after controlling for precollege student characteristics, college major, co-curricular involvement, and unobserved institutional characteristics (An, Loes, & Trolian, 2017).
Data
Fewer Carleton students engage in high-risk drinking than typically perceived by other students.
- Fewer than 1/3 of Carls report binge drinking in the last two weeks (31.0%, 2018).
Students feel that drinking (and high-risk drinking) is less acceptable than what is perceived to be acceptable by others.
- 98% of Carls find it “Acceptable” or “Somewhat Acceptable” to show up to a party and choose not to drink alcohol.
- 82% of Carls find it “Unacceptable” or “Somewhat Unacceptable” to drink the night before an important obligation.
- 99% of Carls find it “Acceptable” or “Somewhat Acceptable” to intervene to help a person who has had too much to drink.
- 83% of Carls find it “Unacceptable” or “Somewhat Unacceptable” to encourage another person to drink.
- 82% of Carls find it “Unacceptable” or “Somewhat Unacceptable” to use alcohol (or being drunk) as an excuse for making a mistake.
Services
- Alcohol & Other Drug Coaching: Explore what role alcohol plays in your life in a non-judgmental setting in a one-on-one, no cost, private meeting with one of our professional staff.
- CUES: Understand the norms of alcohol use within your team, floor, or group.
- AlcoholEdu: Online alcohol education and harm reduction strategies, required for first-year and incoming transfer students.
- E-Checkup To Go: This is an anonymous, free, interactive web survey that allows college and university students to enter information about their drinking or cannabis use patterns and receive feedback about their use of alcohol or cannabis. The assessment takes about 30 minutes to complete, is self-guided, and requires no face-to-face contact time with a counselor or administrator. Take the alcohol survey or the cannabis survey now!
- Recovery Resources: Anyone could find themselves dealing with an alcohol use disorder or an addiction. We can help.