Early Morning Classes Discourage Binge Drinking
Reported June 26, 2007
ORLANDO (Ivanhoe Newswire) — “Thirsty Thursdays” on college campuses could become a thing of the past if administrators take heed to a new study’s findings.
Researchers from the University of Missouri-Columbia found students with Friday morning classes and tests were less likely to drink the night before. Researchers found Thursdays, along with Fridays and Saturdays, are associated with high levels of alcohol consumption among college-age students.
“It appears that drinking, when it occurs, is heavy,” study author Phillip Wood, Ph.D., said. The study found men who drank at least one drink on Thursday nights consumed on average between six and seven drinks, and women who drank on Thursday nights consumed between four and five drinks. Binge drinking is defined as five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women.
“There are a lot of implications for heavy binge drinking, like unintentional injuries,” David Timberlake, Ph.D., told Ivanhoe. The National Institite on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports 1,800 deaths, nearly 700,000 assaults and nearly 100,000 date rapes occur as a result of drinking by 18- to 24-year-olds. Another implication is poor performance in class and on examinations.
Study researchers found having class before 10 a.m. on Friday or having a Friday examination discouraged or eliminated study participants’ Thursday night partying. Authors suggest university administrators consider increasing the number of Friday classes overall, or specifically for individuals who are at high risk for alcohol abuse.
More than 3,000 students at a large Midwestern public university participated in the survey. Study participants were surveyed across eight semesters of their college tenure. Study authors say this is the first to look at the timing of classes on Friday, the day of the week on which drinking occurs and to assess students in this way for several years.
SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with David Timberlake, Ph.D.; published in the July issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research