AlcoholEdu for Colleges

About the Course

All members of the first-year class will be asked to complete an online alcohol prevention program. The program, AlcoholEdu for College, is part of a comprehensive and proactive approach Centre College is taking to ensure that students have the tools they need to make safe and healthy decisions about alcohol.

High-risk drinking is a problem nationwide among college and university students. Centre College is committed to getting ahead of the the problem to make sure our students have a positive experience here - both academically and socially.

Whether or not students drink, AlcoholEdu for College empowers students to make well-informed decisions and support low risk choices for their peers.

What is AlcoholEdu for College?

AlcoholEdu for College is an online, confidential prevention program used on more than 450 campuses around the country. The program, which takes about two to three hours to complete, integrates proven prevention techniques into the science-based curriculum. It includes three surveys which will provide success measures for the institution upon completion by the students. The program was developed by Boston-based Outside The Classroom. AlcoholEdu for College offers a confidential, personalized experience for each student.

Why AlcoholEdu for College?

A survey of nearly 30,000 students who took AlcoholEdu for College in the fall of 2002 demonstrates how the program works: 53% said the course would change the way they use alcohol; 40% educated by the course about blood alcohol concentration (BAC) said they had previously underestimated their levels of intoxication; and 84% felt that AlcoholEdu for College was helpful. On eight campuses where all first-year students were required to take the course: the proportion of abstainers increased by 10% and the proportion of problematic drinkers decreased by 18%. In March 2005, the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) released new data suggesting that the problem of college drinking exceeds previous estimates, citing more than 1700 alcohol-related deaths and 2.8 million cases of driving under the influence in 2001.

Centre College's goal is to prevent problems before they surface. We are confident that this program will translate into more productive academic careers and lives for our students.