Intervention and Treatment

Environmental change strategies are only part of what is needed to reduce a campus community’s alcohol-related problems. Researchers recommend a comprehensive approach that includes interventions designed to intervene with students who have shown some risk related to alcohol use or who have significant problems that warrant a diagnosis of abuse or dependence (DeJong & Langford, 2002). By one estimate, 31 percent of college students meet the criteria for alcohol abuse and 6 percent meet the criteria for dependence (Knight et al, 2002). Campuses should adopt strategies to systematically identify and help individual students who are drinking heavily and have experienced alcohol-related harm (Helmkamp et al, 2003).

However, nondependent, high-risk drinkers account for the majority of alcohol-related problems (Knight et al, 2002). Therefore, campus efforts must target not only students with identified problems but also those who drink heavily or misuse occasionally.