Student drinking habits.

In recent years, medical students in Sheffield have carried out research projects as part of their final year course in general practice and public health. Three such projects were on student drinking habits, of which two were based on two different halls of residence and the third on a sample of medical students. All the projects involved random samples with approximately equal numbers of men and women aged between 18 and 24 years, with questionnaires using standard units of alcohol. The two studies of students doing a range of degrees in halls of residence also used the CAGE questionnaire (Ewing, 1984) to identify problem drinkers, whereas the study of medical students looked at smoking and drug taking as well as alcohol consumption, and the relationships between examination grades and the use of these substances.