College Students' Binge Drinking at a Beach-Front Destination During Spring Break

Abstract

Four hundred forty-two women and 341 men were surveyed at Panama City Beach, Florida, to assess the effects of gender, age, fraternity or sorority membership, and travel motivation on alcohol consumption and binge drinking during spring break. The mean number of drinks consumed the previous day was 18 for men and 10 for women; 91.7% of the men and 78.1% of the women had participated in a binge-drinking episode during the previous day. Respondents less than 21 years old consumed less alcohol and reported significantly lower frequencies of intoxication than those over 21. The men's reported levels of alcohol consumption, binge drinking, and intoxication to the point of sickness were significantly higher than the women's, but fraternity or sorority membership was not associated with higher levels of consumption. Students motivated to visit the specific destination because of its “party” reputation consumed significantly more alcohol than students who cited other reasons for going there.

Key Words:

• alcohol abuse
• binge drinking
• college students
• spring break
• tourism

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Uta C. Dietrich

George L. Smeaton is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, where Bharath M. Josiam is an associate professor in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism. Uta C. Dietrich is coordinator of Youth at Risk of Deliberate Self Harm, Northern Rivers Institute for Health and Research in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.