oa Editorial: US Students' Alcohol Consumption: A Downward Trend, But Increased Concerns

Trend surveys show a steady decline in alcohol consumption among US students. This downward trend started in the 1980s when concerns were raised about heavy drinking of students, and campaigns and interventions were developed to reduce their drinking practices. In addition, a general drinking age of 21 was established. The data on US students' alcohol consumption show that these efforts are paying off. Fig. (1) illustrates that the number of students that report weekly or daily alcohol consumption is steadily decreasing [1]. Similarly, binge drinking rates among US high school seniors have significantly declined and are more than 1/3 lower than around 1980 [2-3]. In contrast to these positive trends some media commentaries, and statements by policymakers and researchers claim that students' alcohol consumption is reaching alarming levels. It is evident from Fig. (1) that these claims are not supported by facts [1, 2]. Although the downward trend of US student alcohol consumption is evident, research on alcohol abuse remains a very important topic that deserves full attention by addiction researchers. Too often, however, media and researchers draw attention to other issues than the problem of alcohol abuse itself. For example, the preference for certain music styles or watching certain music videos has been suggested to be related to alcohol abuse [4], but also the consumption of energy drinks is seen as a popular new “cause” of alcohol abuse [5]. While research support is limited, and it is getting harder to succeed in grant competitions, it may be tempting for researchers to incorporate new ‘hot topics’ such as mixing alcohol with energy drinks in their research proposals in the hope to enhance the chances of getting their grant application approved. From a scientific viewpoint, it can be questioned however if this money is well spent. Moreover, it is unsure whether it brings us any closer to a solution for the persistent problem of alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse was present already long before the introduction of energy drinks and the popularity of certain music styles. By definition, interpreting data is subjective of nature and always colored by viewpoints and assumptions of the observer. However, taking together the downward trends in alcohol consumption among US students with the exponentially growing sales rates of energy drinks [6-7] and regularly changing music preferences over time [8] one could easily come to different conclusions than the ones that are currently drawn by some media and researchers. Many of the associated behaviors that are now referred to as a possible cause of alcohol abuse are more likely to be expressions of personality differences between those who are heavy drinkers and those who consume alcohol in moderation. Indeed, other researchers concluded that these associated behaviors have no cause-and -effect relationship with heavy drinking, but are mediated by personality differences [9-10] or peers substance abuse [11-13]. Finally, it should be acknowledged that the decline in alcohol consumption among US students does not mean there is no problem. Although a minority, high numbers of students are still involved in binge drinking, and they deserve our full attention in terms of prevention and/or intervention. However, researchers and policymakers should remain focused on facts, and not get carried away by opinions in media or popular ‘science’ that distract from the actual problem: alcohol abuse, per se....