Drinking reductions following alcohol-related sanctions are associated with social norms among college students

Students mandated for intervention following an alcohol-related sanction event often reduce their drinking prior to intervention. Knowing the determinants of self-initiated change may help identify intervention targets for individuals who do not reduce their drinking. Guided by self-regulation theory, we tested whether fewer past alcohol consequences and higher descriptive and injunctive norms would be associated with higher levels of postsanction drinking. College students referred for a campus alcohol violation (N = 658, 64% male) reported on their drinking during the month before and after their sanction event. Results show that postsanction drinking was significantly lower than presanction drinking across 4 outcomes: (a) drinks per drinking day, (b) drinks per week, (c) peak drinks, and (d) peak blood alcohol concentration. Hypothesized social influence variables (i.e., descriptive and injunctive norms) were consistently associated with all 4 drinking outcomes; that is, students who perceived that their friends drank more and held more accepting views of drinking were less reactive to alcohol-related sanctions. Past consequences of drinking did not consistently predict subsequent drinking. Therefore, we conclude that alcohol interventions for mandated students should target both descriptive and injunctive norms to optimize their efficacy.