Events such as St. Patrick’s Day, spring break, 21st birthdays, and football game days occur during specific times that are seen as being socially acceptable to consume alcohol, which influences drinking behaviors among young adults. A recent study looked at celebration drinking behaviors with a focus on St. Patrick’s Day, as it is the celebration during which college students consume the most alcohol.
This study investigated the social norms, drinking intentions, and self-reported celebration drinking on St. Patrick’s Day by surveying over 500 undergraduate students. The results of the study indicated that the participants drank an average of 5 drinks on St. Patrick’s Day, and specifically looked at patterns throughout the day. Students who drank earlier in the day (2PM) were likely to be in Greek life, have higher class rank, and/or had interacted with peers on social media who were known to drink. Also, at all observed time points, presence of friends and acquaintances increased amount of alcohol consumed. Celebration drinking can be potentially harmful and it is important to understand the factors impacting student behaviors to attempt to promote safety and intervention efforts.
Take Away: Celebration drinking is common among college students, and may lead to prolonged heavy drinking. Many factors impact this behavior, including presence of peers, influence of social media, and membership in Greek life.
Smith, S.W., Alhabash, S., Kanver, D., Tan, P., Viken, G. (2019). Celebration Drinking around the Clock. Health Communication. doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2019.1625007