Changing the culture of drinking for post-secondary students

A project dedicated to changing the culture of drinking and other substance use among post-secondary students has received a funding investment of $400,000 from the province, Health Minister Terry Lake announced today.

According to the 2013 National College Health Assessment Canadian survey, among post-secondary students who reported drinking the last time they socialized, 26 per cent had seven or more drinks, and 39 per cent of students who drank alcohol in the last year said they later regretted something they did when drinking.

Co-led by the University of Victoria's Centre for Addictions Research (CARBC) and the Canadian Mental Health Association BC Division, Changing the Culture of Substance Use is a long-term project that helps campuses access evidence about alcohol and substance use, assess the cultures on their campuses, decide on—and test—ways to influence their campus cultures, develop tools, and share those tools and experiences with other campuses.

“Culture is incredibly complex,” says Dan Reist, CARBC associate director. “We’ve already seen that life in residence shifts when campus communities openly discuss these issues and acknowledge different perspectives. Problems are handled differently and people become more intentional about their behaviour.”

“The investment in changing the culture of substance use on post-secondary campuses currently supports locally-developed, centrally-supported projects at 11 institutions and active planning at several others,” says Reist. “CARBC is pleased to continue its partnership with the Ministry of Health.”

CARBC is a network of researchers and groups dedicated to the study of substance use and addiction to inform improved public policy and support community-wide efforts to promote health and reduce harm.

For more information about the project, visit
www.uvic.ca/research/centres/carbc/projects/active/projects/ccsu.php.

For more information on Healthy Minds | Healthy Campuses, visit http://healthycampuses.ca/.

More information on the 2013 National College Health Assessment Canadian survey is available here (pdf).

The full release and backgrounder from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Advanced Education is available here.

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