EDITORIAL – Ads not root of substance abuse

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University reported… The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University reported yesterday that drug and alcohol misuse has become more frequent on college campuses.

While the study revealed that the actual proportion of students who drink (about 68 percent) and binge drink (40 percent) has gone largely unchanged since 1993, the number of students who binge drink frequently (taking five drinks at a time three or more times in two weeks) has substantially increased, according to an Associated Press article.

Along with the study’s findings, the chairman and president of the center, Joseph Califano, released his own opinion on the growing problem of substance abuse on college campuses, calling on colleges and the NCAA to stop allowing alcohol advertising during high-profile sporting events like the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Califano’s recommendations come just a week after the U.S. Surgeon General’s office called for an end to alcohol advertisements in college newspapers and alcohol-sponsored college events, in order to curb underage drinking.

The study’s reports are indicative of a growing problem on college campuses that needs to be addressed. But targeting advertisements in television and in print ads will not tackle the root of that problem.

Califano and the surgeon general would like to believe that the theory “out of sight, out of mind,” applies to alcohol: If our favorite television shows and publications no longer ran beer ads, we would be less inclined to drink beer.

This tactic fails to acknowledge that drinking on college campuses is inevitable, regardless of alcohol-related advertising. Excessive binge drinking and substance abuse are problems that plague nearly every college campus in the country, including Pitt. The factors that affect a student’s decision to partake in alcohol and substance misuse are multifold and stem from much more than crafty marketing campaigns by alcohol companies.

A large part of the substance abuse problem is cultural. Students drink or experiment with drugs in college because they are surrounded by other students engaging in the same activities.

It is important that college campuses implement drug and alcohol education programs and work toward reaching out to students suffering from substance abuse. Pitt has made a commendable effort in this area, with a broad range of both educational programs and alcohol-free alternative activities.

Part of the problem might also be our culture’s rigid stance on the drinking age. In Europe, children are served alcohol in moderation from a very young age. By the time they enter college, they are less likely to engage in substance abuse than American students who might have had little experience drinking before college.

The growing trend of alcohol and substance abuse on American college campuses is one that shouldn’t be ignored, but it is also important that our government and educational institutions realize that there is no quick fix to this problem.