Heavy alcohol consumption in the college population is a public health concern and it is not surprising that alcohol use disorder (AUD) diagnoses (i.e., diagnoses of alcohol abuse or dependence) are prevalent among young adults. According to findings from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), college students ages 18-29 were almost twice as likely as adults 30 years of age or older to meet criteria for current alcohol abuse and more than four times as likely to meet criteria for current alcohol dependence (Dawson et al., 2004; Grant et al., 2004). In a national survey of undergraduates, about 6% of students met criteria for current alcohol dependence and about 31% met criteria for current alcohol abuse. Also, just over 44% had experienced at least one symptom of an AUD within the last year (Knight et al., 2002).
