Reasons for Drinking

Objective: The present study examines the relationships among reasons for drinking, alcohol consumption, and alcohol-related consequences in two college-aged samples. Personal motivators such as mood enhancement and coping (tension reduction) have consistently been shown to predict problematic alcohol use, but because of the salient nature of social drinking in college, we hypothesized that social rcasons for drinking would be most frequently endorsed and, in turn, predict negative consequences. Method: Two distinct samples119 coed adjudicated students sanctioned by the university for violating campus alcohol policy and 106 co-ed volunteer students-completed measures assessing alcohol consumption, reasons for drinking, and consequences. Differential effects between genders were examined. Results: Social camaraderie (SC) was the most frequently endorsed reason for drinking. Regression analyses controlling for previous drinking revealed that social reasons for drinking predicted alcohol-related problems among female students in both samples. Additionally, SC was significantly correlated with every drinking measure and problem measure at I month for females in both the adjudicated and the volunteer groups. Total drinks, drinking days, and heavy episodic drinking events correlated with SC for males in the adjudicated sample. Conclusions: For females, these results suggest a relationship between social reasons for drinking and alcohol-related consequences, which previous research has not identified. More research is needed to explore females' reasons for drinking, accompanying problems, and the underlying psychosocial traits associated with these reasons. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs 68: 393-398, 2007) XCESSIVE DRINKING IN THE COLLEGE context is associated with damaged property, poor class att ndance, hangovers, trouble with authorities, injuries, and fatalities (Hingson et al., 2005; Wechsler et al., 1994, 2000; Wechsler and Isaac, 1992). Additionally, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (Task Force of the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2002) has called for targeted interventions with college students to reduce risky levels of consumption. Before designing interventions with students, it is important to identify the reasons behind these heavy levels of consumption. Although peer influence, alcohol accessibility, and pressure to be accepted all affect students' alcohol use (Hanson, 1974), early research with reasons for drinking, or drinking motives, found two main reasons why college students drink: social purposes and emotional escape or relief (Brennan et al., 1986). However, research has been inconsistent regarding the most salient reasons for student drinking and their consequential effects on drinking outcomes. Received: November 17, 2005. Revision: July 24, 2006. *This research was supported by United States Department of Education Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools grant Q184H030069, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism grant U I 8AAO 15451-01, and a grant from the Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation. tCorrespondence may be sent to Joseph LaBrie at the above address or via email at: [email protected]. Cooper and colleagues (1992) developed a measure for drinking motives that identified three factors: mood enhancement, tension reduction (or coping), and social motives. They posited that each motive is associated with unique characteristics of drinking behavior and related outcomes. Enhancement and coping motives were predictive of excessive consumption levels and alcohol-related consequences, whereas social reasons failed to predict excessive drinking levels or alcohol problems (Cooper, 1994; Cooper et al., 1992). Cronin (1997) developed the Reasons for Drinking Scale that included three subscales: social camaraderie, mood enhancement, and tension reduction. In a college student sample, social camaraderie motives predicted drinking rates but, as in the Cooper studies, did not predict alcohol-related problems (Cronin, 1997). Personal motivations, such as the enhancement of internal affective states, have typically been found to predict drinking rates and alcohol-related problems (Billingham et al., 1993; Cronin, 1997; McCarty and Kaye, 1984; Wood et al., 1992). For example, mood enhancement, an internal motive based on positive reinforcement seeking to increase positive internal states, is associated with patterns of frequent and heavy drinking (Colder and O'Conner, 2002; Stewart and Chambers, 2000). Tension reduction or coping is also an internal motive for drinking, but it is based on negative reinforcement, as its aim is to decrease negative internal states. Coping motives predict heavy drinking, social