Excessive alcohol consumption is linked to over 2,000 statewide deaths per year and is the third leading cause of preventable death and disease in Oregon. One of the most common forms of excessive drinking is binge drinking, or the imbibing of at least four to five drinks on a single occasion, and binge drinking rates are highest among 18 to 34-year-olds.
In response to this data, the Central Oregon Health Council issued a grant of $107,865 for student-led binge drinking awareness campaigns across OSU-Cascades and the Bend, Madras, and Prineville Central Oregon Community College campuses. The campaign’s stated objectives are to reduce binge drinking, to increase alcohol-free spaces, and to empower students in leading promotional efforts.
Strategies to achieve these goals include creating social media campaigns, facilitating outreach events, conducting research projects, collaborating with local businesses and policymakers, and providing scholarships and stipends for qualifying student applicants interested in contributing to the project through the PHE 284 and HS 210 classes.
Sarah Baron, professor of public health at COCC and project coordinator, said, “If you’re interested in participating, then you should sign up for the PHE 284 class, where you’ll be doing boots-on-ground outreach, or the HS 210 class, where you’ll be learning the chemistry behind binge drinking. In both classes, you will be doing hands-on, real-life public health research and campaigning.”
A key consideration in these upcoming public health campaigns will be understanding the social psychology behind delivering a message that is informative and impactful, without coming across as intimidating or antagonistic. Andria Woodell, professor of psychology at COCC, stated, “You have to be really careful with these campaigns because if you don’t use the right marketing, if you don’t understand your demographics, if you don’t use the right messaging, if it’s out of date, it can be memorable in the wrong ways.”
Woodell further explained that inspiring behavioral modification can be difficult to achieve because even with plans, support, and an openness to change, tempting environmental or social influence can make lasting change difficult to sustain; however, she also said the opposite applies here too as a cultural shift toward issue awareness could just as easily have a cascading effect on healthy behaviors, which is what this project will work toward accomplishing.
According to Sean Roberts, professor of psychology and human services at COCC, change requires both the desire to do so and the belief that it is possible, and knowing the underlying mechanisms behind alcohol use can help people understand that reducing consumption can be done.
Reward and pain are processed in the same part of the brain, and when it comes to alcohol, heavy drinking releases high amounts of dopamine, the reward molecule. In response, the brain will level back toward the side of pain and reduce its dopamine receptors to prevent deviating so far from its equilibrium again, which is how tolerance develops. From here, it can be tempting to turn back to alcohol to avoid the sensation of pain, but this time, more alcohol will be required than before to achieve the same effect. This prolonged cycle of responding to alcohol withdrawal by returning to alcohol can eventually lead to a dependence, where it is compulsively consumed just to feel normal.
Like the adaptive effect of establishing alcohol tolerance, our brains also possess the capacity to replenish dopamine receptor upon abstaining from alcohol. When this occurs, not only will physical alcohol dependence go away, but other parts of life will become more gratifying. Roberts added, “It sucks at first. You’re in a dopamine deficit state, but you can get through it by finding other substitute behaviors or by finding a community of folks who are interested in doing it together.”
Excessive alcohol consumption and binge drinking are serious issues. With this initiative and others, we can build a healthier and more supportive world together. If interested in becoming a project contributor this spring, contact either Sarah Baron at [email protected] or Sean Roberts at [email protected] for application details. If in need of alcohol-related counseling, contact [email protected] to schedule an appointment; COCC students are eligible for up to six free sessions per year.
