'Pregaming' associated to risky substance use among college students: Study

San Francisco, Aug 26 (IANS) Researchers have said that college students who "pregame" (also known as pre-booze, pre-drinking or pre-loading) or participate in tailgating and similar activities before athletic events, are also more likely to take part in unsafe alcohol and other substance use, a new study has shown.

According to the study published in Substance Use and Misuse, pregaming frequently involves exposure to alcohol and increases participation in high-risk drinking, which, in turn, can lead those involved to participate in other risky behaviours with harmful consequences.

Pregaming is the process of getting drunk before going out socialising, which is typically done by college students and young adults cost-effectively, with hard liquor and cheap beer consumed while in the group.

In an online survey, the researchers asked 816 students whether they had participated in pregaming before a live sporting event in the previous year and also asked respondents if and how often they pregamed or drank before a live university sporting event that they attended in person.

The researchers found that pregaming was linked with alcohol use by college students who had violated their university’s alcohol policy, accounting for important demographic factors.

Although universities have worked for decades to reduce drinking among students, the percentage of students who engage in high-risk drinking during a given month has remained stable at around 30 to 40 per cent, the study mentioned.

In addition, cannabis use among college students in the US is at historic highs, and around 25 per cent of students who consume alcohol report also using cannabis or other drugs while drinking.

Moreover, the researchers also found a two-day increase in alcohol use frequency for each separate pregaming event.

According to the researchers, students who pregamed were around 2.5 times more likely to use cannabis or other drugs with alcohol.

“Throughout the nation, students come to large campuses in the fall and immerse themselves in their college’s sport culture. Some gameday cultures may lead to a perceived view of alcohol use around campus that normalises the behaviour,” said Dr Benjamin Montemayor from Texas A&M School of Public Health, US.

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