Social Support Factors and Alcohol

Social Support Factors and Alcohol Use and Abuse Amongst College Students O'Malley and Johnston (2002) analyze five different sources of data related to drinking amongst college students and note that alcohol use persists in being very high amongst college students. Variables include the fact that males indulge more heavily than females, whites have a higher rate of drinking than do blacks and Hispanics, and alcohol is more frequent amongst college students than amongst non-college students.

In fact, college students who have drunk little or negligible alcohol before college go on to exceed their non-college colleagues in the amount and consistency of their drinking. The article influenced me since it showed a clear correlation between peer pressure towards drinking in college and the tendency to retain that habit post-graduation. It seems, therefore, that were this habit to be impeded in college, fewer college graduates would retain their inclination to drink. Hingson et al.

(2005) discuss the significant rate of morbidity, disease, and injury that is found amongst college students and related to their alcohol consumption. The authors call for prevention and treatment programs for college students in order to discourage their drinking habit. The article influenced me in that it showed how significant the problem of alcohol use is amongst college students and in the urgent need for introduction of alcohol-related prevention and treatment programs for college students. 3.

VonDras, Schmitt, & Marx (1007) investigated association between spiritual well being and between alcohol consumption in a sample of 151 female American college students. A survey found spiritual well being to be positively associated with reduction in drinking. Authors concluded that spiritual beliefs and spiritual support were moderators of behavior that served to provide cognitive schemas as defense against alcohol. Authors briefly discuss uses of counterfactual exercises as educational technique and potential barriers of religious and existential programs as prevention.

This article influenced me in showing the importance of religion in curbing alcohol. It is likely that religion could serve as buffer against other addiction, too. 4. The aim of Menagi, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Harrell%20ZA%22%5BAuthor%5D Harrell, & June's (2008) study was to examine the association between alcohol use and religious and emotional/social support on a sample of 221 American college students. Authors discovered negative correlation to exist between level of religion (i.e.

religious dispositional coping and commitment) and between frequency and intensity of drinking. Social support played an insignificant role. This article affected me in that it demonstrated the significance of religion as compared to the effect of social/emotional support. The authors' results are encouraging for an individual who lacks social support. An article by any Preventive Medicine faculty member. (Rose, G. (2008). The strategy of preventative medicine. Rose's Strategy of Preventative Medicine, 33-35.

NE Noel's article with the title: Changes in substance use during times of stress Noel, N.E., & Cohen,.