Abstract

This study examines the prevalence of risky drinking and the association between risky drinking behaviors and risk groups of substance abuse among college freshmen. A total of 376 college freshmen (126 boys and 248 girls) in a Japanese university participated in the study. The subjects were asked to complete self-administered, anonymous questionnaires during their class. The number of participants who had used drugs was small. The following 2 items for substance abuse were included in the questionnaires: (1) those who had drug using peers who used drugs and (2) those who had been persuaded to use drugs by their peers. On the basis of the responses, the participants were classified into 3 groups: (1) high-risk group (HRG), which accounted for 1.4% of the subjects and comprised those who answered "yes" to both the above-mentioned two items; (2) risk group (RG), which accounted for 7.4% and comprised participants who answered "yes" to one of the two items; and (3) control group (CG), which accounted for 91.2% and comprised those who did not answer "yes" to either of the two items. Bivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the association between risky drinking behaviors and risk groups of substance abuse. The results of our study indicated that 87.0% of the participants reported lifetime alcohol use, and 69.4% reported the consumption of alcohol during the past 30 days. Of the former group, 21.4% had engaged in binge drinking, 8.6% had experienced alcohol-related harassment, 9.5% had experienced alcohol-induced blackouts, and 82.0% had experienced drinking alcohol with peers without adults. There were significant associations between risk groups of substance abuse and risky drinking such as binge drinking (p = 0.001), alcohol-induced blackouts (p = 0.020), alcohol-related harassment (p = 0.012), alcohol consumption during the past 30 days (p = 0.047). However, lifetime alcohol use (p = 0.264) and experience of drinking alcohol with peers without adults (p = 0.103) did not differ significantly. These findings indicated that risky drinking behavior such as binge drinking or alcohol-induced blackouts are associated with substance abuse among college freshmen. Substance abuse prevention programs for college students should address the health effects of risky drinking behaviors and train students how to avoid submission to peer pressure.