A new program targets dangerous drinking behavior among students

In recent years, colleges and universities around the country have been struggling with finding ways to prevent dangerous drinking among students. At MIT, a new program aims to help students think about their drinking and make changes in their drinking behavior if they wish to do so. The specific goal of the BASICS (Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students) program, originally developed at the University of Washington in Seattle, is to reduce risks associated with drinking on college campuses.

"MIT's Working Group on Dangerous Drinking has been looking at a variety of ways to help students identify dangerous drinking behavior and do something about it," says MIT's Dean for Student Life Larry Benedict. "The group, which includes representatives from student organizations and a variety of MIT departments, including MIT Medical, was convened in the spring of 1998 to look at what the Institute could be doing with regard to this issue.

"There was a consensus that many programs didn't work," Benedict recalls. "Our students already knew what alcohol does to the body, so we didn't need to tell them that again. Then Adam Silk presented the group with information on BASICS. The program sounded like a good addition to our 'arsenal,' so I included it as a top priority in my budget for this academic year. I also requested funding for the new position of associate dean for alcohol education and community development, a position that was recently filled by Dr. Danny Trujillo."

MIT Medical psychiatrist Adam Silk, M.D., explains that he first heard about BASICS while looking for results-oriented research on campus-based alcohol intervention programs. "There's lots of research on how many college students drink and how much," he says, "but remarkably little research on what to do about it." The BASICS program provides two hours of one-on-one counseling to students whose answers to an online questionnaire indicate that they may be engaging in risky drinking behaviors.

Two hours of counseling might not seem like enough to motivate behavioral change, but based on studies done at the University of Washington, two sessions can indeed make a big difference. "The original pilot study in Seattle showed dramatic improvement with the interventions," says Silk. "Those who participated in the two sessions experienced 50 percent fewer alcohol-related problems than those who didn't attend the sessions—even four years later. It was a fabulous outcome. They didn't necessarily drink less than their peers, but they drank smarter."

Impressed with these results, Silk began talking to MIT administrators about the program and found a receptive ear in the then-new Dean for Student Life, Larry Benedict, and other members of the Working Group on Dangerous Drinking. The group invited students to participate in implementing the program at MIT. "A committee of about 10 students, including representatives from student government and the IntraFraternity Council, as well as other volunteers, gave us input and advise," says Silk.

Mental health clinicians at MIT Medical were invited to become BASICS counselors, and about two-thirds of Mental Health Service staff underwent the training, led by University of Washington research associate professor of psychology John Baer, Ph.D., one of the originators of the BASICS approach. "Our clinicians were very open to learning this new approach, very enthusiastic," says Silk.

MIT's BASICS program, which currently focuses on freshmen, was initiated in September 2001, when all first-year students received an e-mail asking them to participate in an online study. They were directed to a Web site containing a short, multiple-choice questionnaire about their drinking behavior. Students who completed the questionnaire—a whopping 872 out of some 1,000 freshmen—were each paid $25 for their participation. Then, based on certain criteria in the students' responses, such as frequency of drinking, number of drinks per sitting, and negative consequences experienced from drinking, program administrators screened out students they thought would benefit from one-on-one sessions with MIT Medical's specially trained counselors. Of the 75 students who met the screening criteria, 15 agreed to participate in two voluntary and confidential hour-long counseling sessions for which they were paid an additional $25.

Carol Orme-Johnson, Assistant Dean in the Office of Student Conflict Resolution and Discipline, administers the BASICS program. "The students who participated in the one-on-one sessions received help with their own individual circumstances with respect to alcohol," she says. "They discussed what they wanted to get out of the program and left with a plan of action." The counseling sessions are not judgmental or confrontational, Orme-Johnson stresses. "The students are not told not to drink. Rather, we're teaching them how to look critically at their drinking behavior and think about what they'd like to change."

Silk remains actively involved in the program and enthusiastic about its potential. "BASICS is a realistic intervention," he notes. "We're not trying to get these students to stop drinking. We recognize that students are drinking. What we're trying to do is minimize the harm from the drinking."

For his part, Baer is very impressed with the way MIT is administering the program. "At MIT, BASICS is being implemented in one of the most systematic and thoughtful ways I've seen so far," he says. "They've done a great job of not only understanding the spirit and the details of the program, but also a very creative job of instituting the program within the medical services. MIT is actively promoting the health of students; very few universities are actually screening and recruiting students before they get into trouble."

"It's an innovative program," Benedict adds. "We're looking at this issue differently than we have in the past—less lecturing and more individual, one-on-one, personal advice."

And this one-on-one approach is exactly why the program works, Baer believes. "Honest feedback given in an empathetic and understanding manner can be very useful in helping people make good lifestyle choices," he says.

Orme-Johnson, Silk, and Benedict are already planning ways to improve the program for next year. This spring they will contact the students who participated in the program last fall, hoping to learn how they viewed their participation and whether, in fact, they've changed their drinking behaviors. The feedback received so far from students and interviewers has been quite positive.

There have been unexpected benefits as well. "All the mental health clinicians involved have spoken highly of the training and have indicated that they've found other opportunities to use it," says Orme-Johnson. "And, for some students, perhaps just the act of filling out the survey made them think about their drinking. For the students we know we helped, it was great. And we all learned a lot doing it."

If you'd like to talk with a BASICS-trained counselor about your use of alcohol or other substances, contact MIT Medical's Mental Health Service at 617/ 253-2916 for an appointment.