Targeting Young Binge Drinkers

The 1990s saw an alarming rise in binge drinking among Ontario secondary school students.* The most recent statistics show a shocking 2/3 of young adults in Canada binge drink. Thirty percent of the 19 to 24 year-olds living in Central West and Southwest Ontario binge drink once a month or more, according to the 1996-97 Ontario Health Survey.

Binge drinking is a research term defined as consuming five or more drinks on a single occasion. It is a useful term that is associated with a rise in alcohol related harms. Those who binge drink are at increased risk of fights, unwanted sexual advances and automotive collisions. Collisions involving high blood alcohol concentrations increased among younger drivers, while alcohol-related crashes decreased among other social drinkers.

To address binge drinking, the Substance Abuse Prevention Network of Central West and Southwest Ontario developed a large-scale public awareness campaign targeting 19 to 24 year olds. The media campaign included a poster, a postcard and a radio ad. It took place in 2000 around the Victoria Day and Labour Day long weekends. A thorough evaluation, published in June 2001, reveals the mindset of these young binge drinkers and provides some important insights that might help others address this issue.

The evaluation of the campaign collected data from respondents to a Web-based survey that was e-mailed through four post-secondary institutions. Nine follow up focus groups were also held to explore some of these issues in more detail.

The term "binge drinking" is not well known nor well understood. Respondents defined it in a variety of ways. Males, for example, were more likely than females to define binge drinking as more than 10 drinks, throwing up and passing out. Furthermore, focus group participants said they do not use the term "binge drinking." They call it "chugging" or "funneling," and consider it a purposeful action where the primary focus of a social gathering is to get drunk. They view binge drinking as a social norm and explain that experiencing the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption is part of a 'rite of passage.' They do it because it's fun and because they think it enhances social interactions. Those benefits outweigh any potential risks or negative consequences. In fact, the majority (93 percent) of the 3,767 Web respondents agreed with the statement "Most people think it is all right to get drunk once in a while."

In terms of the way the message was received, respondents were more aware of the radio messages and liked them better than the posters and postcards. The campaign evaluation produced these recommendations for future social marketing campaign messages targeting 19 to 24 year olds:

1. When discussing serious messages like binge drinking, use a serious tone.
2. Develop messages that are different from all the other advertisements - either by vivid graphic images or being simple and quiet.
3. Make sure the messages have direct personal relevance to the target population; use real stories and local statistics.
4. If the campaign addresses health effects, focus on immediate and short-term risks rather than long-term consequences.

For information contact Martha Mitchell, Middlesex-London Health Unit, London, ON; telephone (519) 663-5317, ext. 2252; e-mail: martha.mitchell@mlhu.on.ca

* Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Ontario Student Drug Use Survey, 2001

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Should Canada Raise the Drinking Age to 21?
(July 2005)

More information is available in the 48-page report on-line at www.healthunit.com under Reports and Research.