This article reports on the findings of a study of college students who were sanctioned for alcohol-related incidents and referred to a university-sponsored alcohol and drug assistance program. The aim of the study was to examine whether mandated assistance programs significantly reduced drinking in the time between the alcohol-related violation and the start of the assistance program.

Only those students with a 30 day or longer interval between the 2 events were included in the study. The sample consisted primarily of white students attending a large state college in the Northeast, 15% of whom were referred by police, emergency medical services, or hospital emergency services, and 85% of whom were referred by Resident Assistants (RAs).

• Students referred to the treatment program significantly reduced their drinking after the violation and before the time of assessment in the program.
  
• Students who had received a legal or medical referral reduced their alcohol consumption significantly more than those referred by RAs.

Comments by Tom Delaney, MSW, MPA
These findings suggest that referral to a student assistance program after an alcohol incident reduces drinking in college students. These findings may help college administrators better allocate resources to reduce student drinking that results in alcohol-related violations on college campuses. In addition, as the authors point out, knowing such students had already made significant changes in their drinking habits at intake provides counselors with a valuable opportunity to reinforce successful harm reduction strategies and adapt the type and intensity of intervention based on that knowledge.