Binge drinking: strategies against excess

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MunichDrinking plenty of alcohol is part of many people - including young people. And this despite the fact that campaigns clearly highlight the negative consequences of binge drinking. In fact, there could be more effective strategies to steer consumption in a sensible way.

Alcohol can cause considerable damage to the body, especially with excessive drinking. However, knowing the fatal consequences does not necessarily prevent you from drinking. Concepts that aim to focus on the benefits of staying sober and provide strategies on how to evade social pressures to drink could be more effective.

This is indicated by a British study with a total of 211 university students between 18 and 25 years of age. "We focused on students because they consume more alcohol than their peers," explains Dominic Conroy, head of the study at the University of London. In addition, binge drinking is an accepted behavior, especially among students.

Advantages for sober people

Some of the students were given the task of visualizing the positive aspects of abstaining from alcohol - for example when visiting a pub. Possible advantages of not drinking include not embarrassing yourself or being fit the next day. In this way, the participants were able to reduce the number of their weekly drinks from 20 to 14 within a month.

How do i say no?

Other students had come up with strategies that would make it possible not to drink even though those around them were consuming alcohol. For example, by politely but firmly declining a drink. As a result, they managed to drink an average of 0.73 times a week instead of 1.05 times a week. According to the definition, this is the case when women consume more than six and men more than eight drinks on one occasion.

In addition, the two groups reduced their alcohol consumption overall more than a control group who kept a drinking diary. The latter is generally considered a useful way to keep your alcohol consumption under control.

Greater acceptance from non-drinkers

A nice "side effect" of the exercises was a more positive attitude towards people who do not drink alcohol. "That's interesting because we know that a negative view of nondrinkers is closely linked to one's own consumption," says Conroy. Anyone who looks down on non-drinkers themselves cups all the more.

In the future, health campaigns should contain messages that can be easily integrated into everyday life, says Conroy. They should also show ways that make it easier for people to swim against the current and not to drink in boozy company.

Binge drinking in Germany

Binge drinking - also known as binge drinking - is also a problem in Germany. The latest publications show a positive trend: The number of young people who drink coma in 2013 fell by 12.8 percent compared to the previous year (Federal Statistical Office). But one in five young people still drinks alcohol at least once a month. (cf)

Source: Dominic Conroy et al: "Efficacy of a non-drinking mental simulation intervention for reducing student alcohol consumption" British Journal of Health Psychology, 02/2015, DOI: 10.1111 / bjhp.12133

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