Posted on Nov. 11: Students get reality check on alcohol use

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/realitycheck.gif” caption=”Reality Check poster”]The average McMaster student overestimates the number of nights per week that their peers spend drinking alcohol, according to the latest Alcohol Awareness Survey by Student Health Services. The statistics show a 34.6 per cent inflation rate, between the perceived and actual number of nights that McMaster students spend drinking alcohol.

The “Reality Check” Alcohol Awareness Campaign, run by Student Health Service, is a program designed to inform students of this misperception and increase student awareness of the realities related to alcohol use amongst their peers.

As part of the campaign, the Health and Wellness Centre of Student Health Service is hosting the “That's the Spirit” McMaster Alcohol Awareness Fair Tuesday, Nov. 12 from 12 to 4 p.m. in the McMaster University Student Centre Marketplace.

Campus departments, student groups and community partners will be on hand to promote moderate, responsible use of alcohol. The fair will include challenging games, prizes and giveaways.

Student Health Service also developed a series of posters that have been placed around campus; in bathrooms, residences, on bulletin boards and distributed through various student associations and clubs. This year's theme “You Know You Want To…” alludes to the peer pressure associated with alcohol use, but completes the sentence with positive results of responsible drinking habits, such as “…make it to class” and “…make a good impression”.

The campaign is based on social norms theory; which argues that the misconceptions students have about the alcohol usage rates of their peers can become a self-fulfilling prophecy as students consume more alcohol in a subconscious attempt to meet the perceived norms. By presenting actual data on alcohol usage and its effects, the Reality Check Campaign attempts to shift these perceptions.

Jane Radix, co-developer of the Reality Check campaign and Health Education Coordinator at the Health and Wellness Centre said, “So far, the campaign posters have been very successful in terms of students recognizing them and recalling the statistics.”

This year's study also investigated the negative consequences of alcohol use. When respondents were asked to list the consequences of alcohol use experienced in the last two months, one-third cited embarrassing themselves and missing class. Other notable consequences students identified were receiving unwanted sexual advances, personal injury and engaging in unprotected sex.

For more information about the campaign, and social norms theory, visit the Student Health Service Web site at www.mcmaster.ca/shs/