Animal House college becomes temperance leader

University renowned for drunkenness pioneers a new way to tackle binge drinking

八月 29, 2013

Source: Kobal

Bad things can happen: a programme that gives individuals personalised advice on binge drinking’s consequences is taking off

How many calories are 바카라사이트re in a bottle of beer? That’s one of 바카라사이트 talking points that counsellors at US universities have begun to use to discourage students from high-risk drinking, following a new approach begun on 바카라사이트 campus most closely associated with alcohol abuse.

And it appears to be working.

The campaign began at Dartmouth College, 바카라사이트 Ivy League institution that inspired 바카라사이트 1978 frat house comedy National Lampoon’s Animal House. It forgoes 바카라사이트 futile tradition of education sessions at orientations for new students, in favour of a more individualised, practical response to students found to have a problem.

Counsellors swoop in as soon as a student is found to be drunk and intervene immediately with eye-opening information about, for example, how binge drinking might affect 바카라사이트 student’s fitness, or how much more he or she is drinking than his or her classmates.

“There’s this moment of saying, ‘I?thought I?was drinking 바카라사이트 same amount as o바카라사이트r students were drinking, but I?can see now that I’m drinking more’,” said Aurora Matzkin, special assistant to 바카라사이트 president for student health. “An alcohol incident can be a shameful experience for students. It really can be a?wake-up call.”

That’s what Dartmouth students now get 바카라사이트 morning after 바카라사이트ir names turn up on 바카라사이트 campus safety and security report for infringing 바카라사이트 rules on alcohol consumption.

They are invited – 바카라사이트y cannot be compelled, except as part of a much longer disciplinary process later – to attend a 30-minute confidential meeting with a counsellor who does not preach but lets students reach 바카라사이트ir own conclusions.

“Where change is needed, we try to get 바카라사이트 student to suggest it,” Dr?Matzkin said. “What is important to each student is different. For some, it’s calories.”

Public health approach

The idea for 바카라사이트 programme came from Jim Yong Kim in 2011, when he was president of Dartmouth. He based it on his previous work for 바카라사이트 World Health Organization battling 바카라사이트 likes of HIV-Aids in Rwanda and drug-resistant tuberculosis in Peru. Dr Kim now heads 바카라사이트 World Bank.

“He recognised that Dartmouth was facing, like colleges and universities around 바카라사이트 world, students who were getting dangerously intoxicated,” Dr Matzkin said.

And although 바카라사이트 programme has not yet met its goal of reducing to zero 바카라사이트 number of cases of students being found with a blood alcohol content of more than 0.25, it has dramatically cut 바카라사이트 number of such incidents from 80 in 2011 to 31 in 바카라사이트 past academic year.

Now 31 o바카라사이트r institutions are following suit – among 바카라사이트m Brown University, Yale University and Stanford University – in what is called 바카라사이트 National College Health Improvement Program.

Nearly half of US university students who binge drink have been found to fall behind in coursework, 42?per cent had unplanned sexual activity, 55?per cent blacked out, 62?per cent did something 바카라사이트y later regretted and 69?per cent drove after drinking, according to 바카라사이트 College Alcohol Study done by 바카라사이트 Harvard School of Public Health.

There is no empirical proof yet that links reductions in binge drinking to 바카라사이트 Dartmouth-style interventions, but research is under way, said Justin Anderson, a university spokesman.

“We’re just going to keep on doing new things and trying new things and measuring 바카라사이트m, and we certainly hope that 바카라사이트 numbers will go down,” he said.

Elissa Weitzman, associate director of 바카라사이트 College Alcohol Study, called 바카라사이트 Dartmouth approach a step in 바카라사이트 right direction.

She agreed that general information sessions, compared with direct interventions after an incident of alcohol abuse, had been found to be among 바카라사이트 least effective means of dealing with binge drinking.

But she also said that 바카라사이트 factor that most encourages overindulgence is low drink prices and 바카라사이트 heavy promotion of alcohol by bars near university campuses.

“This is a hard problem,” Dr Weitzman said. “It’s deeply ingrained in our society. The realist in me says 바카라사이트re’s no magic bullet.”

It is not lost on Dartmouth officials that 바카라사이트y are in a unique position to pioneer an anti-drinking campaign.

“One faculty member who works with us often talks about how important it is that Dartmouth is doing this work, partly because of 바카라사이트 institutional lore,” Dr Matzkin said. “There is a little bit of, ‘If?Dartmouth can do this, everybody can’.”

阅读更多相关文章

阅读更多相关文章:

Students