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Alcohol and Other Drug Use at Cornell

Alcohol is the most used and abused drug on college campuses today. The majority of college students nationally and on the Cornell campus report consuming alcohol at least once in a 30-day period, despite minimum drinking age laws which make it illegal for a significant percentage of college students. Also, in keeping with trends in the general population, alcohol consumption far out paces the use of other substances (table 1). 

Table 1. Percent of undergraduates using substances at least once within past 30 days

Substance      
Cornell
2005
Cornell
2003
Cornell
2000
NATION
2004
         
Alcohol
73
77
74
72
Marijuana
17
20
20
19
Illegal drugs other
than marijuana
4
4
6
--

 

Risky drinking among college students—drinking that results in harm to either the individual and those around them—garners much attention in the popular press. However, most students, including Cornellians, tend to drink moderately or not at all (table 2).  At Cornell, 69% of students report that they consume, on average, four or fewer drinks when socializing in a setting with alcohol. While these students may occasionally experience negative consequences from drinking, they do so at a level much lower than students who drink more.

Graph: Number of Drinks

These data are from the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey, administered by Gannett, to a random sample of undergraduate students in the fall of 2005 (n = 1969, response rate = 41%).

 

Cornell AOD survey data

Cornell uses the national Core Alcohol and Drug Survey to collect data related to the use of alcohol and other drugs by Cornell University students. 

The report from 2000, 2003, and 2005 (pdf) includes:

  • use of substances in past 30 days
  • frequency of alcohol use in the last year
  • number of drinks per sitting
  • experience of negative consequences due to alcohol or drug use in past year
  • experience of second-hand effects due to other students drinking in or around campus
  • comparison of Cornell's findings to a national sample