Literature Review #3: How College Students Conceptualize and Practice Responsible Drinking

Barry, Adam, and Patricia Goodson. "How College Students Conceptualize and Practice Responsible Drinking." Journal of American College Health VACH J. of Am. Coll. Hlth. 59.4 (2011): 304-12. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

This scientific study is about what college students believe about drinking responsibly. The study surveyed over 700 students for the quantitative data and 13 participants for the qualitative data. The study found that students generally associated 7 different themes with responsible alcohol consumption, including refraining from drinking and driving, moderating how often one drinks, and monitoring how much alcohol one consumes.

Adam E. Barry PhD is a professor at Texas A&M who has been published several times in the Journal of American College Health, many times for articles based on a study of alcohol's effects. 

Key Terms:

Standard Drink- 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits

CHORDS- CHaracteristic Of Responsible Drinking Survey. A behavioral beliefs scale used to assign a value to the student responses in the survey. The scale ranged from 1-5, 1 meaning not important to do and 5 being something that one must always do when drinking.

BAC- Blood Alcohol Content

"...males were found to believe that these responsible drinking behaviors should occur with less frequency, when compared to their female counterparts" (309)

"We argue that the construct of responsible drinking requires its own, exclusive focus, due to its prevalence in alcohol advertising and public health research." (311)

"participants offered numerous different interpretations of what constituted one’s alcohol-related limit. For instance, notions of an alcohol limit ranged from staying in control of one’s self to remaining coherent. Some participants felt knowing one’s limit encompassed preventing illness/sickness due to consuming alcohol: “Throwing up is too much, but buzzing is alright.”" (307)

The value that I see in this study is that it provides a first-hand look into the minds of college drinkers. In order for one to grasp the concept of the culture of college drinking, one must peek into the minds of the students who create and perpetuate the culture.