CORE Alcohol and Drug Survey

Core Alcohol and Drug Survey

Year 2000 Findings: A Social Norms Perspective

Administered: 2000
Results Reported: 2001

Viewed from a social norms perspective, data from the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey reveal that the majority of students drink moderately, if at all. For example, most students (54%) consume an average of two drinks per week, heavy drinking is not the norm, and serious harm as a consequence of drinking is uncommon.

The following statistics for the year 2000 are derived from a sample of 55,026 undergraduate students (n = 55,026) from 132 two- and four-year colleges located throughout the United States. These colleges administered the Core Survey sometime during the year 2000. All institutions used methods to insure a random and representative sample of their respective student bodies.

Spring 2000 Findings

I. Students Drink Moderately: The Drinks per Week Measure

The average number of drinks that college students consume per week:

47% of students consume an average of 1 drink or less per week.
54% of students consume an average of 2 or fewer drinks per week.
60% of students consume an average of 3 or fewer drinks per week.
63%

4 or fewer drinks per week.

69% of students consume an average of 5 or fewer drinks per week.

(Note: One drink was defined as "a bottle of beer, a glass of wine, a wine cooler, a shot glass of liquor, or a mixed drink.")

II. Heavy Drinking is Not the Norm

What is variously described as "heavy drinking," "heavy episodic drinking," or (inappropriately) "binge drinking" is measured in the Core by the consumption of 5 or more drinks at a sitting during the two weeks prior to completing the survey. Results show that:

54% of students did not consume 5 or more drinks at a sitting even once during the two weeks prior to completing the survey.

III. Serious Harm as a Consequence of Drinking is Uncommon

Students rarely incur serious harm as a result of drinking alcohol. For example, within the year prior to completing the survey:

98.1% did not experience actual physical violence while drinking.
98.7% did not experience unwanted sexual intercourse while drinking.
98.5% were not arrested for DWI/DUI.
91.8% did not damage property, pull a fire alarm, etc. while drinking.
85.7% were not hurt or injured as a result of drinking.
98.6% did not seriously attempt to commit suicide as a consequence of drinking.

A Note on the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey:

The Core Institute is a not-for-profit organization whose main purpose is to assist institutions of higher education in drug and alcohol prevention efforts. The Institute offers both student and faculty/staff surveys including the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey, a 4-page questionnaire which can be used as a pretest and posttest measure of the effectiveness of campus-based prevention programs.

An online summary of the most recent statistics from the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey is available at: 2000 Statistics on Alcohol and Other Drug Use on American Campuses.

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