While epidemiologic studies in North America and Europe are indicating that rates of underage drinking and binge drinking have been decreasing over the past 10 years, alcohol- and drug-related harms remain alarmingly prevalent among adolescents and young adults. A recent World Health Organization study [6] reported that alcohol use alone accounts for almost 4 % of the global burden of health, with deaths attributed to alcohol greater than those caused by AIDS, tuberculosis or violence. Heavy drinking is very common among undergraduate students: 40–60 % engage in heavy episodic drinking (HED; 5+ drinks/occasion) [7–9]. Recent studies, including one of drinking patterns in 73 countries, show that risky drinking patterns, such as drinking to intoxication and HED, are on the rise among young adults [6, 10, 11]. Heavy alcohol use negatively impacts physical health, psychological well-being and academic performance [12–14]. Such alcohol-related negative consequences occur frequently among undergraduates. For example, a large study of Canadian undergraduates estimated that a full 44 % of students reported one or more indicators of harmful drinking such as experiencing memory loss, suffering an injury, feeling
