The University of Massachusetts at Amherst says that binge drinking and overall heavy drinking have declined two years after the school launched a social-norms campaign to combat its "Zoo Mass" reputation as a party campus, the Boston Globe reported Aug. 25.

Using widespread advertising stating "We got the facts from you," the school is driving home the message that drinking is not as prevalent on campus as students tended to believe. Social-norms theory holds that the idea that behaviors like binge and underage drinking are common among peers tends to reinforce the behavior. Some believe that UMass-Amherst's reputation as a party school attracts more students who view heavy drinking as part of the college experience, compounding the problem.

The UMass social-norms campaign is linked to tougher regulation and enforcement of alcohol laws and regulations, as well as an expansion of prevention services. The school recently received a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand and evaluate the program.

"The perception is that heavy-drinking students are the norm," said Sally Linowski, director of the UMass-Amherst's Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention. "So some students will drink to that expectation. Perception can become reality."

UMass-Amherst officials say that 68 percent of men and 58 percent of women at the school report binge drinking in the past two weeks, a 28-percent decline overall since 2003. Frequent heavy drinking (bingeing three or more times in the past two weeks) has declined 38 percent.

Also, a new study from the University of Virginia found that a social-norms campaign there helped cut alcohol-related injuries among students by 2,000 between 2001 and 2006, and helped reduce drunk-driving incidents by 1,511.