Problems Associated With Drinking

Students were asked for information on the types of problems they had experienced when drinking alcohol. The extent to which respondents reported experiencing the range of problems presented to them was quite variable. The 33 problems covered a number of different aspects of life and we have categorised them into six areas comprising health, anti- social or illegal, financial, educational, vulnerability, sexual health and education. The frequency with which problems in each of these areas was experienced by the respondents can be seen in Table 2.40. Two sets of frequencies are given relating to whether the respondent had ever experienced this problem and whether the respondent had experienced it within the last year.

The seriousness of the problems listed vary considerably and to some extent this is reflected in the data, in that more serious issues tend to happen less frequently. In relation to general

Table 2.40: Responses to the question „As a result of drinking have the following ever happened to you?

Q30 drinkers combined survey Ever

happened

In the last year

Health Total % Total % Males

%

Femal es %

N

Had a hangover 88.1 75.2 73.5 75.8 564

Vomited from drinking 80.3 49.6 54.3 47.8 563 Had periods of time you could not

remember (blackouts)

52.7 33.5 42.7 30.1 562

Taken drugs 22.8 11.2 14.6 10.0 562

Other accident/incident 19.1 8.7 14.0 6.8 561 Injured yourself accidentally 41.3 20.5 23.2 19.5 562 Harmed yourself deliberately (e.g.

cutting, burning)

10.8 3.9 5.3 3.4 563

Anti Social/ Illegal

Been in trouble with the police 10.1 2.7 6.6 1.2 563 Let down family/friends 31.3 15.3 16.7 14.8 563 Been involved in a fight 17.2 5.5 14.6 2.2 563 Driven a car when you have had too

much to drink

14.1 5.5 9.9 3.9 560

Been involved in a verbal argument 55.7 31.2 41.7 27.4 564 Been ejected from an establishment 19.7 7.6 16.6 4.4 563 Damaged property (e.g. pulled a false

fire alarm or other such behaviour)

13.1 5.3 11.9 2.9 564

Been arrested for drink driving 2.3 0.9 2.0 0.5 562 Financial Been unable to pay bills 7.1 5.0 6.0 4.6 562

Lost a job 2.3 1.1 1.3 1.0 563

Vulnerabi lity

Been a victim of crime 12.2 5.3 11.9 2.9 564 Been passenger in a car when the

driver has had too much to drink

33.0 11.5 16.6 9.7 563 Found yourself in a dangerous

situation

25.8 10.3 16.0 8.3 562 Got separated from friends 53.5 31.4 36.0 29.8 563

Got lost 25.8 13.2 18.0 11.4 561

Participated in a drinking game 73.2 55.4 59.1 54.0 560 Thought you might have a problem 16.8 9.4 14.7 7.5 561 Sexual

Health

Been sexually assaulted 8.5 1.4 2.0 1.2 563

Had unprotected sex 30.9 15.2 25.2 11.6 564

Become pregnant or made someone pregnant

3.2 0.9 1.3 0.7 564

Contracted an STI 4.1 0.7 2.6 0.0 563

Had sexual intercourse when you ordinarily wouldn't

26.8 12.2 17.9 10.2 564 Education Been in trouble at college/university 7.8 4.5 7.4 3.4 561

Attended a lecture/seminar/class after having several drinks

22.4 15.7 19.2 14.4 562 Missed a lecture/seminar/class after

having several drinks

32.3 23.7 27.8 22.2 561 ag. Performed less well than you

expected at university (e.g. missed a deadline/exam, poor grades)

health, the majority of respondents had experienced a hangover at some time, and the proportion was reasonably consistent from long term to the past year. Just over half had experienced periods of time they could not remember or blackouts and a third had done so in the previous year. Accidental injuries seemed to be relatively common, but what is particularly concerning is the 10% who had deliberately self harmed after drinking alcohol, nearly 4% of whom had done so in the past year.

Re the overall experience of anti-social or illegal activities, more than half the respondents reported they had experienced a verbal argument as a consequence of drinking and a good proportion had been involved in other activities that could be described as aggressive, including a fight or being ejected from an establishment. More than 14% had driven a car when they were over the limit, just over 2% had been arrested for drink driving and 10% reported having been in trouble with the police. Whilst these figures are reduced when problems experienced only the past year are considered, this is still a concerning proportion, especially of males, who participate in anti-social behaviour or have problems with the law after drinking.

Whilst financial problems resulting from drinking were not reported frequently, some students did record them. For people on low incomes, as students normally are, the financial problems they may experience could have considerable implications for their well-being and possibly for their ability to continue their studies.

Drinking does seem to be associated with behaviours that enhance the students’ vulnerability. Thus, in considering whether they have ever experienced the problems, more than half report that they have got separated from friends as a consequence of drinking, a third report putting themselves at risk through being a passenger in a car when the driver has had too much to drink, a quarter report getting lost and a similar proportion report finding themselves in a dangerous situation. The frequency with which respondents reported taking part in a drinking game would seem to indicate that this is a fairly normal activity for student drinkers with nearly three-quarters reporting they have done so and the proportion still stays above 50% when reporting on the past year. In addition to the drinking games, getting separated from friends would seem to have been a risk factor for many. In general, the incidences reduce when only the past year is considered, but some problems still stay high.

We separated out the issue of sexual health from the categories of health and vulnerability as this seemed a particularly salient issue for students, the majority of whom are young people in the early stage of sexual relationships. Again the data suggests that a significant proportion of the respondents increase their risk of pregnancy and other adverse outcomes, including threats to their self image as well as more physiological problems such as STIs, by drinking. Nearly a third reported having unprotected sex and just over a quarter indicated that they have had sexual intercourse when they ordinarily wouldn’t have done. Again, the percentages drop when only the past year is considered but levels of some problems are still quite high - for example, a substantial proportion (15.2%) have had unprotected sex as a result of drinking and 12.2% had sexual intercourse when they would not have done if sober.

Given that all respondents were students whose future is linked to academic achievement, the data on educational items is concerning. The responses indicate that alcohol has adverse effects on engagement with their studies and, for some students, it would seem to have an adverse impact on their performance. Nearly a quarter reported that they had attended a

teaching session after drinking and a greater proportion, nearly a third, had missed classes because of drinking.

Considering the data overall, two factors stand out. One is the extent to which the frequency with which problems are experienced is reduced when one compares the data for the ‘ever happened’ column to that of the column reflecting occurrences in the past year. There will of course be some double counting, in that anything that has happened in the previous year will have happened to them in their lifetime and therefore be included in this column as well. However, it is evident that for first year students, and probably for others, alcohol related problems predate their time at university. Of perhaps greater concern, given the high proportion of the respondents who are what we would consider to be ‘traditional’ students coming straight from school, the data suggests that alcohol is associated with problems at a point where they are not legally eligible to drink in commercial establishments.

The second point that seems very clear from the data relates to the separate analysis of the male and female responses for problems experienced in the past year. The data clearly shows that males are reporting higher incidences of problems than the females. Indeed there is only one item that shows a higher proportion of females reporting the issue than males, and that relates to a 2.3% difference between them when the overall percentage of respondents reporting experiencing a hangover in the past year is 75.2%. Even where we might traditionally consider that females are more likely to experience problems than males, such as in relation to unprotected sexual intercourse or sexual assault, the data disputes this. In all six problem areas, compared to female respondents, males report experiencing more problems. This may be because they have a more cavalier attitude to risk, or drink more heavily, or take fewer steps to protect themselves. Whatever the reason, the finding suggests that there may be a need to enhance male students’ awareness of the extent to which they risk experiencing problems as a consequence of alcohol use.