Student booze culture report a sobering read
They spend as much on alcohol as on food, seriously affecting their academic performance, a hard-hitting study of college lifestyles has found.
The College Lifestyle and Attitudinal National (CLAN) survey raised serious concerns about the extent of alcohol-related harm, mental well-being and sexual health with one in 10 engaging in unsafe sex practices.
It found male students binge on booze three times out of every four times they drink, with a slightly lower rate for female students.
The study found binge drinkers were twice as likely to miss lectures and three times more likely to have money problems, fights, unprotected sex and have taken drugs.
Matt Doran, chairman of the National Working Group on Alcohol in Higher Education, said: "This report clearly reveals the detrimental effects of alcohol, and that heavy drinking by students contributes to a range of personal problems."
Junior Health Minister Sean Power said extra financial support would be given to colleges to tackle the problem.
"This is an area that has not got the attention it deserves in the past and that will be changed," he said.
The levels of binge drinking among Irish students are far higher than in other European countries.
Mr Power said it was alarming that students were spending as much on alcohol as food, at around €110 a month.
"The extent of alcohol-related harm is high," he said.
"It has the potential to interfere with academic performances."
He added: "College life is merely reflective of the situation across the country. Alcohol is one of the biggest problems affecting the country today."
It was found that regular excessive drinkers spent fewer hours in study and more time in paid employment, working on average 15 hours per week.
The lifestyle research, which was carried out by the Department of Health across 21 third-level colleges, had surveyed over 3,000 students.
Dr Ann Hope, one of the authors of the CLAN study, said they were very concerned that of the 75% of college students sexually active around 42% of females were using the morning-after pill as contraception. She added: "If we continue to ignore it, it is probably going to rise, whether in unplanned pregnancies or STIs."
Cannabis was reported as the most common illegal drug used, with almost four in 10 admitting using it over the past 12 months. Ecstasy was the next most frequently consumed drug.
The researchers also raised worries as over half of all students said they would sort any mental health problems out alone without getting help. Only 3% said they would go to a hospital or health centre.
Dr Hope said first and second-year students were vulnerable and unlikely to reach out for support.
The study recommended the establishment of a Health Promoting College Network to provide a structure for health promotion across all the colleges.
It also pointed out that colleges should consider building social networks for first-year students and address sexual health needs with links to service providers for STI screening.
Mr Power said the report's recommendations, including the prioritising of mental health promotion and reducing alcohol-related harm, will feed into an alcohol action plan to be published later this year.
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