Looking out for You and Me: College students' Strategies for Preventing Sexual Assault in Drinking Contexts.

Background: Sexual assault and heavy alcohol use are prevalent and interrelated public health concerns on university campuses. Surprisingly, however, few alcohol harm reduction interventions address this intersection to help students reduce both personal and community risks for sexual assault in college drinking contexts. Objectives: In the current study, students (ages 18-24) shared strategies they use to protect themselves and others from sexual assault in college drinking contexts, as well as challenges to implementing these strategies. A series of six focus groups were conducted across two universities in the U.S. (N = 35). Participants responded to open-ended questions focused on drinking and sexual assault (e.g., What are some of the things students might do to avoid or address situations where they feel pressured of coerced to hook up or have sex when they do not want to?). Results: Thematic analyses demonstrated students' awareness of protective behavioral and bystander intervention strategies that could help reduce vulnerability to experience sexual assault for themselves or others in drinking contexts. Perceived barriers to using bystander intervention strategies included student's own and friends' heavy drinking (decreased inhibitions, loss of autonomy), ambiguity in deciphering risk (lack of familiarity, minimization, diffusion of responsibility), and gender (gender norms, power imbalances). Conclusions: This study informs the development of interventions that help students identify strategies and overcome barriers to reduce risks for sexual assault in college drinking contexts.

Examining Overdose and Homelessness as Predictors of Willingness to Use Supervised Injection Facilities by Services Provided Among Persons Who Inject Drugs.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Internationally, supervised injection facilities (SIFs) have demonstrated efficacy in reducing rates of overdose and promoting entry into treatment among persons who inject drugs (PWID); however, they remain unavailable in the United States. Early findings examining American PWID illustrate high overall willingness to use SIFs. The current study expands upon this research by examining PWID's likelihood to use SIFs based on services offered (eg, provides clean needles, linkage to treatment programs) and whether known risk factors (prior overdose, homelessness) influence PWID's willingness to use a SIF. METHODS: Participants (n = 184) were patients entering short-term inpatient opioid withdrawal management in Massachusetts between May 2018 and February 2019 who reported injection drug use in the prior 30 days. We examined PWID's likelihood to use a SIF if eight unique services were available, and compared if this differed by overdose history and homelessness status using ordered logistic regression and Pearson's χ2 -tests of independence. RESULTS: Participants (34.2 [±8.3 SD] years of age, 68.5% male, 85.9% white, 8.2% Hispanic) reported being most likely to use SIFs that provided safety from police intervention (86.7%), entry into withdrawal management (85.9%), or clean needles (83.2%). Drug works disposal and safety from police were particularly important for PWID with a history of overdose. CONCLUSION AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Overall, treatment-seeking PWIDs reported greater willingness to utilize SIFs if particular services were provided. These findings point to features of SIFs that may enhance treatment-seeking PWID's amenability to utilizing these services if such sites open in the United States. (Am J Addict 2021;30:21-25).

Expectations about alcohol, cocaine, and benzodiazepine abstinence following inpatient heroin withdrawal management.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Polysubstance use is associated with relapse and poor treatment outcomes among people dependent on heroin. Despite the high prevalence of polysubstance use among patients detoxifying from heroin, little is known about patients' expectations to abstain or use non-opiate substances. The current study examined factors associated with expectations about abstaining from alcohol, cocaine, and benzodiazepines (BZDs) following heroin withdrawal management. METHODS: Between May and December of 2015, we surveyed 417 patients (71.9% male, 31.7 [±8.39] mean years old) initiating short-term inpatient heroin withdrawal management who reported alcohol, cocaine, or BZD use in the past 30 days. We used logistic regression to evaluate the adjusted associations of background characteristics with expectations about using each substance following discharge. RESULTS: Approximately half of respondents reported past month alcohol (52%), cocaine (47.0%), or BZD (47.0%) use, and 25.9% reported using all three substances. Approximately half of those reporting drinking, 6.6% reporting cocaine use, and 27% of reporting BZD use expected to abstain from using that substance following heroin withdrawal. Prior opioid withdrawal was associated with a lower likelihood of expecting to stop using alcohol and BZDs, and more days of BZD use was associated with a greater likelihood of expecting to abstain from BZDs following discharge. CONCLUSION: Persons with opioid use disorder often do not expect to stop using other substances following withdrawal management, with very few planning cocaine cessation. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Inpatient heroin withdrawal programs need to address and educate patients about how polysubstance use complicates recovery from heroin use. (Am J Addict 2019;28:36-42).

The Effect of Descriptive Norms on Pregaming Frequency: Tests of Five Moderators.

BACKGROUND: Pregaming is highly prevalent on college campuses and associated with heightened levels of intoxication and risk of alcohol consequences. However, research examining the correlates of pregaming behavior is limited. Descriptive norms (i.e., perceptions about the prevalence or frequency of a behavior) are reliable and comparatively strong predictors of general drinking behavior, with recent evidence indicating that they are also associated with pregaming. OBJECTIVES: We tested the hypothesis that higher descriptive norms for pregaming frequency would be associated with personal pregaming frequency. We also tested whether this effect would be stronger in the context of several theory-based moderators: female gender, higher injunctive norms (i.e., perceptions of others' attitudes toward a particular behavior), a more positive attitude toward pregaming, a stronger sense of identification with the drinking habits of other students, and stronger social comparison tendencies. METHODS: College student drinkers (N = 198, 63% female) participated in an online survey assessing frequency of pregaming, descriptive norms, and hypothesized moderators. RESULTS: A multiple regression model revealed that higher descriptive norms, a more positive attitude toward pregaming, and stronger peer identification were significantly associated with greater pregaming frequency among drinkers. However, no moderators of the association between descriptive norms and pregaming frequency were observed. CONCLUSIONS/IMPORTANCE: Descriptive norms are robust predictors of pregaming behavior, for both genders and across levels of several potential moderators. Future research seeking to understand pregaming behavior should consider descriptive norms, as well as personal attitudes and identification with student peers, as targets of interventions designed to reduce pregaming.

Extreme Consumption Drinking Gaming and Prepartying Among High School Students.

Drinking games and prepartying (i.e., drinking before going to a social gathering/event) have emerged as high-risk drinking behaviors in high school students. The present study examines the current prepartying behaviors of high school students who report current participation in extreme consumption games (e.g., Chugging) with those who do not. High school students (N=182) reporting current drinking games participation completed anonymous surveys. Gamers who prepartied frequently (vs. those who did not) were approximately 1.5 times more likely to play extreme consumption games, even after controlling for demographics, typical consumption, and participation in other types of drinking games. Practitioners should target adolescents who participate in extreme consumption games, particularly those who participate in this high-risk activity as a form of prepartying.

The efficacy of a standalone protective behavioral strategies intervention for students accessing mental health services.

Students with poor mental health are at increased risk for problematic alcohol use. These students also tend to underutilize alcohol-related protective behavioral strategies (PBS). Cross-sectional studies indicate that PBS use may be particularly useful for students with mental health challenges; however, it is unclear whether training these students to use PBS is an effective approach for reducing alcohol use and consequences. The current study evaluated the efficacy of a standalone PBS skills training and personalized feedback (PBS-STPF) intervention among students accessing mental health services. Participants (N = 251) were randomly assigned to either an individual facilitator-led PBS-STPF intervention or a health-related control condition. Participants completed online follow-up surveys 1 and 6 months post-intervention which included measures of alcohol use, negative consequences, and a composite measure of PBS use. Relative to control participants, students in the PBS-STPF condition reported significantly greater PBS use but no differences in alcohol use or consequences. Participants in both conditions reported decreases in drinking outcomes over time. Tests of mediation indicated that the intervention indirectly led to reduction in drinking outcomes at 6 months through increased PBS use. Although the intervention resulted in changes in PBS use that were maintained for up to 6 months post-intervention, the effects of the intervention on drinking and consequences were limited. A brief standalone PBS training may need augmentation in order to promote effective use of PBS for substantial decreases in alcohol consequences.

Social anxiety and drinking refusal self-efficacy moderate the relationship between drinking game participation and alcohol-related consequences.

BACKGROUND: Participation in drinking games is associated with excessive drinking and alcohol risks. Despite the growing literature documenting the ubiquity and consequences of drinking games, limited research has examined the influence of psychosocial factors on the experience of negative consequences as the result of drinking game participation. OBJECTIVES: The current event-level study examined the relationships among drinking game participation, social anxiety, drinking refusal self-efficacy (DRSE) and alcohol-related consequences in a sample of college students. METHODS: Participants (n = 976) reported on their most recent drinking occasion in the past month in which they did not preparty. RESULTS: After controlling for sex, age, and typical drinking, higher levels of social anxiety, lower levels of DRSE, and playing drinking games predicted greater alcohol-related consequences. Moreover, two-way interactions (Social Anxiety × Drinking Games, DRSE × Drinking Games) demonstrated that social anxiety and DRSE each moderated the relationship between drinking game participation and alcohol-related consequences. Participation in drinking games resulted in more alcohol problems for students with high social anxiety, but not low social anxiety. Students with low DRSE experienced high levels of consequences regardless of whether they participated in drinking games; however, drinking game participation was associated with more consequences for students confident in their ability to resist drinking. CONCLUSION: Findings highlight the important role that social anxiety and DRSE play in drinking game-related risk, and hence provide valuable implications for screening at-risk students and designing targeted harm reduction interventions that address social anxiety and drink refusal in the context of drinking games.

Pornography Use, Perceived Peer Norms, and Attitudes Toward Women: A Study of College Men.

Men's negative attitudes toward women is a known risk factor for sexual aggression perpetration. Sexual aggression is a widespread public health concern, especially among emerging adults, and is associated with a multitude of negative consequences. The current study evaluated whether pornography-related perceived peer norms, own approval, and self-reported use are associated with negative attitudes towards women in a sample of college men. Types of pornography examined included: pornography (in general), pornography that included portrayals of bondage, whipping, and spanking but without explicit dissent (i.e., pornography that depicted bondage/physical aggression), as well as pornography consisting of sexually explicit rape depictions in which force is used. Self-report measures assessing the frequency of pornography exposure, self-acceptance of pornography use, and perceived peer norms were collected from 283 college men. A multiple linear regression model revealed that only perceived peer norms for acceptance of pornography that depicted rape was positively associated with negative attitudes toward women. Findings highlight the importance of better understanding and addressing perceived peer norms in sexual assault prevention programs for college men.

College students' perceptions of positive and negative drinking-related sexual experiences.

Objective: During young adulthood, drinking and sexual behaviors are both normative and inextricably linked. While this association is well documented, little is known about how students define positive and negative drinking-related sexual experiences. Methods: Thirty-five undergraduates participated in a focus group about sexual experiences in the context of drinking. Thematic analysis was utilized to identify themes in the data. Results: Students' descriptions of positive drinking-related sexual encounters included having a good time, feeling safe, maintaining control over alcohol, as well as feeling safe in drinking contexts where sexual partners are located. Students' perceptions of negative experiences included specific consequences such as a damaged reputation, loss of control due to alcohol, and concern of engagement in sex when they or a partner was too intoxicated to consent. Conclusion: Gaining a better understanding of how college students view positive and negative drinking-related sexual experiences could inform interventions aimed at promoting student well-being.

Assessing the feasibility, acceptability, and initial efficacy of a multiple behavior change intervention addressing alcohol use, sexual risk taking, and bystander intervention.

OBJECTIVE: Prevention programs that address the intersecting health problems of risky alcohol use, unsafe sexual behaviors, and sexual violence are needed. This pilot project assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a two-session group-based intervention, Sex Positive Lifestyles: Addressing Alcohol & Sexual Health (SPLASH), targeting these highly interconnected risks for college students across genders. METHOD: A total of 217 participants (51.6% male, ages 18-24) took part in the SPLASH intervention or a nutrition/exercise control condition. SPLASH included three approaches aimed at reducing the incidence of alcohol problems, unsafe sex, and sexual victimization: normative feedback to modify misperceptions around peers' drinking, sexual behaviors, and support of bystander intervention; drinking and sexual-related protective behavioral strategy training to enhance safer drinking and sex-risk behaviors; and bystander intervention skills training to promote bystander efficacy and engagement. Participants completed baseline and follow-up (1-month and 6-month) online assessments. RESULTS: SPLASH demonstrated high acceptability and feasibility, as well as preliminary efficacy. SPLASH participants reported strong acceptability of the intervention, particularly its integrated content and interactive, in-person group format. Successful enrollment (70% randomized) and retainment point to the feasibility of recruiting students to this two-session in-person intervention. Results showed sustained trends toward more accurate perceived sex-related norms and indications of increasing bystander norms among intervention but not control participants. CONCLUSIONS: Results demonstrate the potential for SPLASH to effectively address the interrelated health risks of risky alcohol use, unsafe sex, and sexual violence on college campuses and point to the need for larger-scale studies.

Injunctive peer misperceptions and the mediation of self-approval on risk for driving after drinking among college students.

Of the alcohol-related risks faced by college students, it is arguable that none presents a greater public health hazard than driving after drinking (DAD). The present study examined the extent to which students' injunctive misperceptions toward DAD predicted the likelihood to engage in DAD and how this relation was mediated by self-approval of DAD. Participants were 2,848 college students (59.1% female, 64.6% Caucasian) from two U.S. West Coast universities who completed confidential web-based surveys assessing DAD beliefs and behaviors. Results revealed that respondents tended to overestimate their peers' approval toward DAD. Moreover, the subgroups likely to engage in DAD--men, 21 + years of age, Greek affiliated students, Caucasians, students with a family history of alcohol abuse--were also more likely to misperceive (i.e., overestimate) their peers' level of approval toward DAD. Using binary logistic regression analyses, self-approval of DAD emerged as an important statistical mediator in the relation between misperception of typical student approval toward DAD and engagement in DAD. Results point to the considerable role injunctive peer misperceptions may play in the pathways leading to drinking-driving risk. These findings provide preliminary support for DAD-specific social normative interventions, either complementing or supplementing existing alcohol interventions. By targeting high-risk student subgroups and communicating accurate drinking-driving norms, these proposed interventions have the potential to reduce self-approval and incidence of DAD.

Are "extreme consumption games" drinking games? Sometimes it's a matter of perspective.

Drinking games are widespread on college campuses and pose health risks to their players. Although there has been considerable research progress in the college drinking games literature, there does not appear to be a standard definition of the term "drinking games." Researchers, however, have attempted to classify and categorize drinking games in a systematic manner. For example, one category of drinking games (e.g., chugging, keg stands) is often referred to as consumption or extreme consumption games. Questions remain as to whether or how these types of games align with researchers' definitions of drinking games or the categorization systems advanced by researchers in the field. Potential challenges regarding the definition and categorization of drinking games, particularly with respect to extreme consumption types of games, are discussed.

An examination of prepartying and drinking game playing during high school and their impact on alcohol-related risk upon entrance into college.

Prepartying and drinking game playing are associated with excessive alcohol consumption and alcohol-related negative consequences in college populations; however, research exploring the prevalence of these high risk drinking contexts among high school students, and how such engagement may impact both high school and subsequent college drinking risk, is lacking. The current study, which is the first study to assess prepartying during high school, examined how engaging in either prepartying or drinking game playing during high school was associated with risky high school drinking as well as alcohol use and consequences during the transitional first month of college. The study involved 477 first-year college students, the majority of whom were 18 years old (94%), female (66%), and Caucasian (59%). Prepartying was found to be highly prevalent in high school (45%). Further, students who prepartied or played drinking games during high school drank significantly more in high school than students who did not engage in these high risk activities. Finally, prepartying and game playing during high school were associated with greater collegiate alcohol consumption (controlling for high school drinking) and consequences (controlling for both high school and college drinking). This study establishes prepartying and drinking games as common high risk activities among both high school and incoming first-year college students, and addresses implications for prevention and targeted interventions.

Sexual Experience and Risky Alcohol Consumption among Incoming First-Year College Females.

This study examines the relationship between sexual experience and various drinking measures in 550 incoming first-year college females. During this transition period, sexually experienced participants reported stronger alcohol expectancies and endorsed higher drinking motives, and drank more frequently and in greater quantities than sexually inexperienced participants. Sexual status was also a significant predictor of alcohol-related nonsexual consequences, over and above amount consumed. Furthermore, controlling for drinking, sexual status moderated the relationship between coping motives and consequences. Among women who endorsed strong coping motives for drinking, sexual experience was linked to greater nonsexual alcohol-related consequences. Implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.

Perceived Behavioral Control and Barriers to Cleaning Skin Before Injecting Drugs.

OBJECTIVES: Skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTI) among people who inject drugs (PWID) are common and represent a significant public health burden. In the current study, we examined the relationship between perceived behavioral control and perceived barriers to cleaning skin before injecting drugs. METHODS: Participants (n = 248; 37.9 [±10.7] years of age, 58.5% male, 59.3% white, 16.1% Hispanic) were patients seeking medical care at a large urban hospital in the northeastern United States. We used ordinary least squares regression to estimate the associations between perceived barriers to skin cleaning with background characteristics and perceived behavioral control. RESULTS: Controlling for background and other study variables, greater number of past-year skin abscesses was associated with greater level of perceived barriers to skin cleaning (P < 0.001), whereas higher level of education and higher perceived behavioral control were associated with lower levels of perceived barriers to skin cleaning (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Interventions aiming to reduce the likelihood for SSTI among people who inject drugs may benefit from strengthening individual's behavioral control and providing skin cleaning skills training.

Prescribed and non-prescribed gabapentin use among persons seeking inpatient opioid detoxification.

BACKGROUND: Persons with opioid use disorder (OUD) are at increased risk for gabapentin misuse. Rising rates of concomitant gabapentin-opioid use in the U.S. are concerning given heightened risk of fatal overdose. OBJECTIVE: To examine predictors of ever using gabapentin among persons seeking treatment for opioid use and to assess if reasons for gabapentin use differed by gender and how gabapentin was procured (prescribed, non-prescribed, or both). METHOD: Persons with OUD were recruited from a managed withdrawal program. t-Tests and Pearson χ2 tests of independence were used to compare reasons for gabapentin use by gender and source of acquisition. RESULTS: Among participants (n = 401; 69.1% male, 84.5% White, 86.8% sought treatment for heroin use, 90.0% insured), female gender, higher educational attainment, injection drug use (IDU), history of overdose, and chronic pain were associated with gabapentin use. Overall, reasons for use were similar across genders among those reporting a history of gabapentin use (65.8%), although males were more likely to use to get high than females. About half (47.0%) reported only using gabapentin that was not prescribed, 20.5% had only used prescribed gabapentin, and 32.5% reported prescribed and non-prescribed use. Persons prescribed gabapentin were most likely to use it to control pain (81.5%); for those using diverted gabapentin only and those reporting both prescribed and non-prescribed gabapentin use, the most common reasons for intake were to: get high, increase effects of heroin, substitute for opioids, and help with opioid withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of people with OUD entering inpatient detoxification program, a majority reported a history of gabapentin use, with most using diverted gabapentin. The range of reasons for gabapentin use point to the need to better understand why co-use is common.

Drug Use-Related Normative Misperceptions and Behaviors Among Persons Seeking Heroin Withdrawal Management.

OBJECTIVE: Normative perceptions about substance use are well-established predictors of substance use risk behaviors, yet no research to date has examined how people who use heroin perceive the drug use behaviors and their association with personal behaviors. In a sample of persons seeking heroin withdrawal, we compared normative beliefs (descriptive norms) about others' drug use behaviors, and examined the association between normative beliefs and behaviors. METHOD: Participants (n = 241) were patients undergoing short-term inpatient heroin withdrawal management in Massachusetts. t-Tests were used to compare participants' perceptions about various substance use behaviors among both US adults and persons seeking heroin withdrawal at the same site. We also examined associations between participants' normative beliefs and personal substance use behaviors. RESULTS: Participants significantly overestimated drug-related risk behaviors of adults nationally; overall, participants estimated that 44.7% had tried heroin, 37.6% had injected drugs in the past year, and 63.2% had smoked marijuana in the past month when actual national rates are 2.0%, 0.3%, and 5.5%, respectively. Participants also held significant misperceptions about contemporaneous patients in the heroin withdrawal program; behaviors about sharing works, diverting buprenorphine or methadone, and exchanging sex for drugs or money were most substantially overestimated. Normative perceptions were associated with a range of personal drug-using behaviors (eg, injection drug use, exchanging sex for drugs or money). CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with existing substance use norms research, participants in the current sample tended to overestimate others' engagement in risky substance use, and these normative perceptions were associated with increased personal risk. Leveraging norms in heroin harm reduction interventions may hold substantial promise.

Perceptions about fentanyl-adulterated heroin and overdose risk reduction behaviors among persons seeking treatment for heroin use.

BACKGROUND: Fentanyl-adulterated heroin supply chains are increasing risks for fatal overdose in the U.S. OBJECTIVE: The current study examined the use of overdose risk reduction behaviors among persons seeking treatment for heroin use and whether perceptions about the presence of fentanyl in one's heroin are associated with overdose risk reduction behaviors. METHOD: We recruited persons with opioid use disorder entering a managed withdrawal program. We used multiple linear regression to estimate the adjusted associations of participant characteristics and perception of fentanyl exposure with the frequency of engaging in each of five overdose reduction behaviors. RESULTS: Participants (n = 239; 75.3% male, 81.2% White, 67% injectors) estimated that 69.2% of the heroin they use contains fentanyl, and 94.6% knew that fentanyl increases overdose risk. Approximately 30% of respondents reported usually or always making sure others are around when they use heroin, carrying naloxone, taking "tester" doses of heroin or intentionally using in reduced amounts. While a majority of the sample reported never carrying naloxone or taking tester doses, and 70.2% reported never making sure that others around them carry naloxone, 84.5% had implemented one or more behavior at least rarely. Past month injection drug use was associated with making sure others are around, but perceptions about fentanyl in one's heroin were not associated with use of harm reduction behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of people who use heroin, although overdose risk reduction behaviors were not usually used, a majority had tried at least one behavior. That perceived exposure to fentanyl-adulterated heroin was not associated with the use of such behaviors provides important implications for public health education and intervention programming.

Do misperceptions of peer drinking influence personal drinking behavior? Results from a complete social network of first-year college students.

This study considered the influence of misperceptions of typical versus self-identified important peers' heavy drinking on personal heavy drinking intentions and frequency utilizing data from a complete social network of college students. The study sample included data from 1,313 students (44% male, 57% White, 15% Hispanic/Latinx) collected during the fall and spring semesters of their freshman year. Students provided perceived heavy drinking frequency for a typical student peer and up to 10 identified important peers. Personal past-month heavy drinking frequency was assessed for all participants at both time points. By comparing actual with perceived heavy drinking frequencies, measures of misperceptions of heavy drinking (accurately estimate, overestimate, underestimate) were constructed for both general and important peers. These misperceptions were then used as predictors of concurrent and prospective personal heavy drinking frequency and intentions using network autocorrelation analyses. The majority of students (84.8%) overestimated, 11.3% accurately estimated, and 3.9% underestimated heavy drinking among their general peers, whereas 42.0% accurately estimated, 36.9% overestimated, and 21.1% underestimated important peers' heavy drinking. For both referents, overestimation of peer heavy drinking was associated with more frequent heavy drinking and higher drinking intentions at both time points. Importantly, the effects of underestimating and overestimating close peers' drinking on personal alcohol use were significant after controlling for the influence of misperceptions of general peers' heavy drinking. Close peers are a critical referent group in assessments related to social norms for young adult alcohol use. Implications for prevention and intervention are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Enrollment and assessment of a first-year college class social network for a controlled trial of the indirect effect of a brief motivational intervention.

Heavy drinking and its consequences among college students represent a serious public health problem, and peer social networks are a robust predictor of drinking-related risk behaviors. In a recent trial, we administered a Brief Motivational Intervention (BMI) to a small number of first-year college students to assess the indirect effects of the intervention on peers not receiving the intervention. OBJECTIVES: To present the research design, describe the methods used to successfully enroll a high proportion of a first-year college class network, and document participant characteristics. METHODS: Prior to study enrollment, we consulted with a student advisory group and campus stakeholders to aid in the development of study-related procedures. Enrollment and baseline procedures were completed in the first six weeks of the academic semester. Surveys assessed demographics, alcohol use, and social network ties. Individuals were assigned to a BMI or control group according to their dormitory location. RESULTS: The majority of incoming first-year students (1342/1660; 81%) were enrolled (55% female, 52% nonwhite, mean age 18.6 [SD = 0.51]). Differences between the intervention and control group were noted in alcohol use, but were in large part a function of there being more substance-free dormitory floors in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The current study was successful in enrolling a large proportion of a first-year college class and can serve as a template for social network investigations.