Problematic Drinking Among Postgraduate Students: Binge Drinking, Prepartying, and Mixing Alcohol With Energy Drinks

To describe the research, policy and prevention implications of pre-drinking or pre-gaming; that is, planned heavy drinking prior to going to a public drinking establishment. The authors describe the phenomenon of pre-drinking, motivations for pre-drinking and its associated risks using available research literature, media and popular internet vehicles. Heavy drinking prior to going out has emerged as a common and celebrated practice among young adults around the world. Apparent motivations are: (i) to avoid paying for high priced drinks at commercial drinking establishments; (ii) to achieve drunkenness and enhance and extend the night out; and (iii) to socialize with friends, reduce social anxiety or enhance male group bonding before going out. Limited existing research on pre-drinking suggests that it is associated with heavy drinking and harmful consequences. We argue that policies focused upon reducing drinking in licensed premises may have the unintended consequence of displacing drinking to pre-drinking environments, possibly resulting in greater harms. Effective policy and prevention for drinking in licensed premises requires a comprehensive approach that takes into account the entire drinking occasion (not just drinking that occurs in the licensed environment), as well as the 'determined drunkenness' goal of some young people.

In recent years the consumption of alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AmED) has become popular in young adults in North America. There have been few studies into the drinking patterns and risk behaviors that accompany this new form of alcoholic beverage consumption and more information is required to support harm reduction and prevention efforts. This paper goes beyond previous research by investigating risk behaviors associated with AmED use while (1) controlling for risk-taking propensity, (2) examining a range of outcomes (e.g., stimulant drug use), and (3) replicating previous findings in a Canadian sample. In winter 2009/10, a web-based survey was completed by 465 students (56% female) attending a university in Western Canada. Regression analyses were used to investigate whether consumption of AmED is associated with heavy drinking, stimulant drug use, and alcohol-related consequences. A total of 105 students (23%) reported consuming AmED in the past 30days. These students were more likely to be heavier drinkers, than non-AmED users after controlling for risk-taking propensity. More frequent AmED drinkers had twice the odds of experiencing one or more negative consequences from AmED use (e.g. drinking and driving, being hurt or injured), compared to less frequent drinkers after controlling for risk-taking propensity and drinking behavior. Students who consume AmED are at increased risk for harms. Therefore, consuming AmED should be considered "high-risk drinking" for university students and efforts should be made to discourage combined consumption. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Problematic alcohol involvement typically peaks in the early 20s and declines with age. This maturing out of alcohol involvement is usually attributed to individuals attaining adult statuses incompatible with heavy drinking. Nevertheless, little is known about how changes in problematic alcohol use during emerging/early adulthood relate to changes in etiologically relevant personality traits that also change during this period. This study examined the relation between changes in problematic alcohol involvement and personality (measures of impulsivity, neuroticism, and extraversion) from ages 18 to 35 in a cohort of college students (N = 489) at varying risk for alcohol use disorders. Latent growth models indicated that both normative and individual changes in alcohol involvement occur between ages 18 and 35 and that these changes are associated with changes in neuroticism and impulsivity. Moreover, marital and parental role statuses did not appear to be third-variable explanations of the associated changes in alcohol involvement and personality. Findings suggest that personality change may be an important mechanism in the maturing-out effect.