AGGIES WINNING CHOICES: GRANT DESCRIPTION

NCAA Choices Grant: Aggies Winning Choices 3- Year Grant aiming to reduce binge drinking on campus by 15% through the use of peer advocates to: – Create PSAs –Conduct tabling and outreach –Provide health education

Goal 1 To raise awareness and educate incoming undergraduate students during freshman orientation on the following topics by trained student athletes: o Binge drinking and its impact o Alcohol-related cultural and social norms clarification o Alcohol moderation skills o Recognition of and appropriate use of external cues o Smart decision-making about alcohol consumption o Not crossing the line between drinking and drinking too much NCAA Choices Grant: Aggies Winning Choices

Goal 2 –To implement alcohol-related informational and education advocacy efforts targeting undergraduate students through campus-based activities and events Goal 3 –To design and implement a social marketing campaign that includes 12 Public Service Announcements (PSAs) featuring NMSU athletes and non-athletes as well as administrators highlighting and clarifying smart decision-making about alcohol consumption.

NCAA Choices Grant: Aggies Winning Choices Year 1 –Alcohol Awareness Week –No Drinking and Driving Pledge Event –Spring Break Event – Focused on awareness about the “hidden” line between drinking and drinking too much

NCAA Choices Grant: Aggies Winning Choices Year 2 –Speaker Series Local and national speakers will be identified for this event that can advocate for smart decisions with undergraduates –No Drinking and Driving Pledge Event –National Alcohol Screening Day Events

NCAA Choices Grant: Aggies Winning Choices Year 3 –Healthy Aggie Week –No Drinking and Driving Pledge Event –Spring Break Event

NCAA Choices Grant: Aggies Winning Choices Other Activity –Social Marketing campaign including use of website/facebook/twitter –Creation and distribution of materials including: Marketable materials including shirts, keychains, etc. Fact-Sheets and Resource Information Other helpful printed materials

NCAA Choices Grant: Aggies Winning Choices Other activity –Creation of PSAs to play during all sporting events and local stations –Outreach to various student organizations and other entities on campus –Targeted health education and promotion within athletics programs

INTRODUCTION TO BINGE DRINKING AND ITS EFFECTS

What is Binge Drinking? Two Definitions: –5 or more drinks in one sitting for men. 4 or more drinks in one sitting for women –Drinking to the point of cognitive or physical delays that are problematic Citation: NIAAA and WAVE, NMSU

Binge Drinking at NMSU: What’s Real? How common is drinking and binge drinking on campus at NMSU? Does everyone do it? Do they also drink and drive?

Binge Drinking at NMSU: By the Numbers 40.9% of NMSU students rarely or never consume alcohol Of those who do drink, 71% state they do not drive under the influence In New Mexico universities, the average drinks consumed per week is 3.21, however, students perceive that their peers are drinking an average of 8.35 per week 32.5% of students who are under 21 report binge drinking in the past two weeks Citation: CORE Survey, NMSU & COSAP/CASAA, UNM

Binge Drinking at NMSU: By the Numbers 45.5% of students report binge drinking 6.3% of NMSU students report they have been sexually assaulted 8.1% report they have had trouble with the police Citation: CORE Survey, NMSU

Binge Drinking at NMSU: By the Numbers Citation: COSAP/CASAA, UNM

Impact of Binge Drinking drunken-driver-that-changed-her-life/ http:// drunken-driver-that-changed-her-life/

Impact of Binge Drinking New Mexico is number two in the nation for deaths due to alcohol poisoning New Mexico leads the nation in alcohol- related deaths Excessive alcohol use has cut the life expectancy of New Mexicans by 11% Citation: Malone, Patrick, Santa Fe New Mexican, 2015 & CDC, 2015

Impact of Binge Drinking Each year: –About 2,000 college students will die from alcohol related injuries such as car accidents –About 700,000 students will be assaulted by another student who has been drinking –About 100,000 students will be victims of sexual assault or date rape by a student who has been drinking Citation: NIAAA

Pause and Consider What was your first experience in university that involved alcohol consumption (either drinking yourself or being alcohol)? –How much did you know about alcohol at that time? –Do you think it was a safe setting? –What would have improved the situation?

COLLEGE BINGE DRINKING: FINDING A SOLUTION

Prevention Strategies Various strategies have been successful in reducing college drinking: –Policy level changes such as alcohol taxes/university policies for dorms –Strong enforcement of alcohol-related law/policy –Abstinence Model –Harm Reduction Model –Using social norms that promote responsible drinking

Prevention Strategies Harm Reduction –This approach aims at reducing the harm of binge drinking and/or alcohol abuse by those who choose to drink. –This approach assumes that it is impractical to stop alcohol drinking altogether and aims at reducing the harm for those that do drink –Positive outcomes of harm reduction may be measured not just by the amount a person drinks but rather in their success in society, family, and well-being/health as individuals Citation: Canadian Pediatric Society, 2008

Prevention Strategies Harm Reduction –This approach is highly individualized and responds to the needs and practical reality of each person For some individuals, including alcoholics there is no safe number of drinks Even though NIAAA provides a rigid definition of binge drinking, in fact, the line where each individual crosses into excessive and dangerous drinking is different.

Pause and Consider Why is alcohol consumption so important in our society? –What social role does it play? –Do you think it is possible to have a dry college campus? –Can students, even those who are underage, drink without negative consequences?

Prevention Strategies Social Norms –Norms reflect common perceptions of the dominant group and have strong influence over attitudes, perspectives, and behaviors –Social norms around alcohol use on college campuses are specific, reinforced by the media, and extremely strong, however, they are not always in line with reality Citation: Weschler, H, 2001

Prevention Strategies Social Norms –Peer advocates are in a strong position to influence social norms because they can model alternative norms in a relatable manner to students

COLLEGE BINGE DRINKING: TAKE ACTION

The Program in Action - Summary of Stupid Drink Campaignhttps:// - Example PSA

Next Steps Selection and Assignment to Groups