Checking Up on Student Drinking

Do you know how many burgers is equivalent to drinking four beers? How about if your own drinking habits are similar to that of your peers?

Students worldwide are finding out through a program created by psychologists at San Diego State University designed to help curb alcohol abuse on college campuses worldwide.  

Not your typical education program

The online program eCHECKUP TO GO was designed in 2000 by SDSU’s Counseling and Psychological Services and is now used by more than 600 universities worldwide, including Canada, Ireland and Australia.  

It is not your typical alcohol education program, according to Doug Van Sickle, eCHECKUP TO GO project director.

“Education doesn’t really work, you have to find a way to get students thinking differently about alcohol,” said Van Sickle, former director of SDSU Counseling and Psychological Services.

The eCHECKUP TO GO program is based in “motivational interviewing” and has been found to be remarkably effective. Twelve published studies have found it effective in reducing the use of alcohol among college students.

“As a personal feedback tool, it really starts the conversation with students,” Van Sickle said.

“Instead of showing them pictures of car accidents and statistics, it gives personalized feedback to each student as they take a survey of their personal drinking habits.”

Reality checks

As students are guided through the online program, they are asked personal questions about their own use of alcohol. Their answers are completely confidential while providing campus-specific feedback and comparisons.  

“Education doesn’t really work, you have to find a way to get students thinking differently about alcohol.”

Jennifer Rikard, associate director of SDSU’s Counseling and Psychological Services, is one of the program’s authors. She said some of the most impactful feedback comes in the way of peer comparisons, when students realize that they drink more than their peers.

“Students often believe that their circle of friends is the norm for their peer group but when we tell them the actual norms — here’s where you stand, you drink more than 70 percent of college students — suddenly, a light bulb goes off for them, and that’s when they start to change,” Rikard said.

For example, students are often surprised to learn that nationally 55 percent of college students drink two or fewer drinks in the typical week and 35 percent don’t drink at all during a typical week.

At SDSU, those numbers are even lower. Sixty-one percent of SDSU students have fewer than two drinks in a typical week and 30 percent don’t drink at all in a typical week.

Meaning, while some research has shown an increase in excessive alcohol consumption among college-aged students, binge drinking is still not the social norm.

Backed up with research

Studies evaluating the results of eCHECKUP TO GO have shown significant reductions in alcohol abuse in students who have completed the program. One of the reasons for its success is that it focuses on harm-reduction and provides students the information they need to make their own decisions about how they use alcohol.

“There is an increase in drinking for students between high school and college, which is something we cannot completely prevent,” Van Sickle said. “This program seeks to minimize the harm done as a result — such as bad grades, academic probation and health and safety impacts of increased consumption.”

“Originally it started out as a way for us to work with students who had an alcohol violation on campus. As we used it more, we discovered the program was really having a positive effect on them so we took it a step further.”

Since 2007, all new SDSU students must complete the program during their first semester or they are unable to register for second-semester classes. Many other universities who use the program require it as well.

The program is now looking to go beyond college campuses and targeting other populations, including:

• Emergency rooms
• Hospitals
• Employee assistance programs

High school and military versions of the program are already available, as is a different version of eCHECKUP TO GO that evaluates marijuana use.

eCHECKUP TO GO is the most cost-effective program of its kind on the market. Universities nationwide pay less than $1,000 per year for the program customized for their specific campus.  

Revenue raised

The funds raised by the licensing of eCHECKUP TO GO brings in more than $400,000 per year in revenue to SDSU which helps support programs in SDSU Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Affairs and the SDSU Research Foundation.

For more information about eCHECKUP TO GO, visit www.echeckuptogo.com.