Why College Binge Drinking is Relevant to EAPS

SUMMARY

Binge drinking is a significant public health concern that is highly prevalent among college students. College students who binge drink often experience a range of negative consequences, including legal complications, health impairments, increased risk for mortality, and academic failure. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) awarded 15 colleges and universities grant money for the purpose of empirically evaluating how various intervention programs affect students' binge drinking behaviors. This review presents a potential area for Employee Assistance Program (EAP) practice as it describes the Northeastern University grant which applied EAP concepts to college binge drinking as an effective strategy to reach students with alcohol issues. It also points out the importance of understanding how such practices affect the workplace.

KEYWORDS:

• Binge drinking
• college students
• employee assistance program

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dale A. Masi

Dale Masi, PhD, is a Professor Emeritus in the School of Social Work at the University of Maryland and is the President/CEO of Masi Research Consultants, Inc., which specializes in designing and evaluating EAPs. Dr. Masi was the Project Director for the NIAAA grant at Northeastern University.

Suzie Foster-Sanda

Suzanne M. Foster-Sanda, MS, is a graduate research fellow for the University Assistance Program at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Suzanne is currently enrolled in the combined Counseling and School Psychology doctoral program at Northeastern University.