Football Game Days Mean Most Drinking for College Students

According to research by the University of Texas at Austin, college students drink larger amounts of alcohol on football game days than on other well-known drinking days such as New Year's Eve and Halloween.

Kim Fromme, an author of the study and director of the University's Studies on Alcohol, Health and Risky Activities Laboratory, commented on the findings: "Most events associated with heavy drinking occur only once a year, such as Spring Break, or once in a lifetime, such as a 21st birthday, but the weekly football schedule presents students with more regular opportunities to drink."

Fromme and co-author Dan J. Neal of Kent State University observed students during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 University of Texas at Austin football seasons. They found that students were especially likely to drink more during high-profile games against conference or national rivals. However, the increased rates only occurred when students were actually on campus.

Fromme commented on this phenomenon: "These results indicate drinking is connected not only to the game itself, but to the social context associated with the event."

(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: alcohol, college-drinking, sports

posted by Aspen Education Group @ 8:41 AM