Brett Luster
Daily Egyptian
According to a nationwide study conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, 57 percent of 14 to 22 year olds believe that peers who are well liked probably drink alcohol.
The study, recently released by the Adolescent Risk Conference at the University of Pennsylvania, concluded that only 9 percent of those surveyed thought unpopular peers were likely to drink.
According to Barb Elam, SIU wellness coordinator, students are fairly conservative in their attitudes toward drinking and believe others are more liberal as a rule.
"What we've realized in the last few years is that students' perceptions of their fellow students' drinking is distorted," Elam said.
In a study by the Core Institute of approximately 400 SIUC students, one-third believe "you should never get drunk," and two-thirds disapprove of drinking more than five drinks per occasion.
Pressure from friends doesn't have much to do with how much people drink according to Mike Schillaci, a senior in information systems technology from Chicago.
"I don't think they have anything to do with it, until they buy me shots," Schillaci said. "If I'm only going to have one, it's going to take a lot to go to the bar."
Being in a social environment contributes to the pressures, according to Elam.
"We are all influenced by environment," she said. "If you see a dessert you might want to try and eat it, even though it's not good for you."
She believes that when leaders of groups take on the habit, it sets a tone with people.
"A lot of people say, 'I'm not a big drinker, but all my friends are drinking,'" Elam said.
Whitney Johnson, a senior in musical theater from Mt. Zion, said if a person has good friends, alcohol does not matter. She also believes alcohol doesn't have a whole lot to do with being "cool."
"It doesn't make you more or less attractive," Johnson said.
Pressure does not only come from social groups, according to Elam. The media play a part in the pressure students are faced with. Elam said she believes alcohol ads have a lot to do with pressure.
"When you look at ads for alcohol and you see the people who are the most attractive and the most social and it looks like fun, it doesn't show the hangovers or the bad grades, getting in trouble or waking up with an STD," Elam said. "You have to imagine that if that was all you saw, you would think a little bit."
According to Elam, most students spend more on alcohol than books during the semester.
Elam believes students could save a lot of money by not drinking so much.
Elam said social drinking is possible, however. She believes students who drink in moderation have a good chance of being successful.
"I definitely see students who can be successful in cutting down on their drinking," Elam said.
Drinking alcohol in moderation is a prevalent trend, according to David Smith, president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
"Controlled drinking is in fashion now," Smith said.
To find out how much of drinking is social, psychologist Martha Sanchez-Craig conducts research for Drinkwise, an Ontario-based moderation program for problem drinkers. Sanchez-Craig surveyed 70 people who came to the Addiction Research Center for help.
"After they began drinking more than four a night and doing so more than three times a week, that's when the trouble started," she said. "If you go above these targets regularly, you are asking for trouble."
Sanchez-Craig bases her research on helping drinkers moderate their drinks. One drink is considered a bottle of beer, a five-ounce glass of wine or one and a half ounces of hard liquor.
In Drinkwise, she teaches people how to limit drinks to no more than 12 a week for women (never more than three a day) and 14 per week for men (never more than four a day).
Johnson said that drinking is not so much "a popular thing" as it is just to something to do with friends.
"It's a social thing," Johnson said. "We're just kicking back, having a couple of beers."
She believes maturity is the key.
"One hopes once you get a little bit older you have a good sense of when it is the right time to drink and when it is not," Johnson said.
Reporter Brett Luster can be reached at bluster@dailyegyptian.com.
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
