Academic Demands are Associated with Reduced Alcohol Consumption by College Students: Evidence from a Daily Analysis

There is little empirical evidence linking academic demands or rigor to alcohol consumption by college students. In a 3-week daily study of fulltime college students at a public, residential campus in the United States, both current day and next day's academic demands were negatively related to alcohol consumption, and these relationships were mediated by daily academic effort. Academic demands on the previous day were not related to alcohol consumption, indicating that students do not engage in compensatory or celebratory drinking when demands end. The results suggest that enhancing academic expectations and rigor may be an appropriate intervention target to reduce student drinking.