Alcohol

Drinking, Drug Abuse Higher in Fraternities and Sororities

Analyses of drinking and drug abuse patterns of 4,299 young adults who were surveyed first as high school seniors and then during college confirm that members of fraternities and sororities engage in significantly higher rates of substance abuse than their college peers.

The young adults who participated in the study were part of NIDA's Monitoring the Future survey, an annual assessment of substance abuse patterns among 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-graders. Data show that fraternity and sorority members had elevated rates of substance abuse while they were in high school and higher levels of binge drinking, annual marijuana use, and current cigarette smoking during the college years than nonmembers. The study also indicates that the processes of selection (the influence of certain characteristics that steer an individual toward certain experiences, organizations, or environments) and socialization both contribute to the high levels of substance abuse seen among fraternity and sorority members.

Although heavy drinking and abuse of substances other than tobacco tend to decline following college graduation, the scientists suggest that future research may determine whether this decline holds equally well for those individuals who were involved in fraternities or sororities in college.

What it means: The findings suggest that substance abuse intervention efforts targeting college students should be focused on individuals interested in joining fraternities or sororities before they arrive at college. Prevention efforts aimed at college students belonging to fraternities or sororities should especially target binge drinking and marijuana abuse.

Dr. Sean Esteban McCabe and his colleagues at the University of Michigan published their NIDA-supported research in the April 2005 issue of Addiction.

NIDA NewsScan, September 7, 2005