Are you under the influence? : measuring the awareness of university students regarding alcohol

Abstract

Ten percent of all people who consume alcohol develop an alcohol use problem (Doweiko 2006). Kilbourne (2003) notes, "by some estimates just 10% of those who drink alcohol in the U.S. consume 60% of all alcohol ingested." She adds that advertising is the main form of alcohol education (Kilbourne 2003). Alcohol is influencing youth, who are beginning to drink at a younger age, while a higher percentage of adults drink more and more. College-age students (and their parents) are advised to be aware of binge drinking, drinking games, "party schools," and how alcohol can influence their school performance from many sources including: websites, media, and universities themselves. Drinking alcohol can cause many problems including alcoholism, which is now recognized as a disease by more than just those in the medical profession. A plethora of support groups are offered for those with the disease of alcoholism and for those who suffer because someone they love is an alcoholic. Ohio has increase the severity of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) laws, which penalize drunk drivers financially and possibly with incarceration. Domestic violence, homicide, rape, vehicular accidents, and suicide can also be enhanced by adding alcohol to the crime equation. The objective of this research was to investigate the level of awareness among college-age individuals of the influence of alcohol on our society and to explore perceptions of alcohol use by the same college-age students. The data results from 76 respondents to a 29-question survey questionnaire were analyzed along with an analysis of previous research. A summary of the four hypotheses and their findings are discussed as follows: The first hypothesis "Most of society is unaware of any support program beyond Alcoholics Anonymous," was supported. The second hypothesis was that "Many people drink and drive and ride with someone who is under the influence," and the findings did support the hypothesis. The third hypothesis, "The disease concept of alcoholism is not widely accepted" was not supported by the results of the survey questionnaire. The fourth hypothesis, "Crime is intensified by adding alcohol to the equation" was referred to in several of the survey questions, and it became apparent that most students were unaware of the effects of alcohol use on crime.