Research Indicates Pre-Drinking May Double Alcohol Consumption

Brunswick, GA (Law Firm Newswire) December 4, 2012 – A new study by Swiss researchers looked at college-age “front-loading” or “pre-drinking:” the act of having a drink or two before heading out for the evening.

The study, which included analysis of the behavior of more than 250 students over the course of five weeks, found that the college-aged individuals who participated in pre-drinking were far more likely to later drive under the influence of alcohol (DUI), experience blackouts, and use drugs.

Researchers also stated that when the students consumed alcoholic beverages prior to going to the planned event, they tended to drink far more alcohol throughout the evening than they would otherwise. College students who drank before going out consumed an average of seven alcoholic beverages during the evening, while students who did not “pre-drink” consumed an average of four alcoholic beverages during the evening.

The research, to be published early 2013 in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, tracked drinking and behavior via cell phone reporting. Most of the nights involving pre-drinking included what researchers labeled “heavy drinking,” with five or more drinks consumed by the male subjects and four or more consumed by the female subjects.

Previous studies in the U.S. and Great Britain found similar behaviors when students went pre-drinking. The Swiss researchers now plan to look closely at what motivates people to drink in different ways, including moderation, pre-drinking, drinking to excess, etc.

“While wait staff and bartenders are often relied upon to decide which patrons have had a maximum number of drinks and cut them off,” stated Brunswick personal injury attorney Nathan Williams, “knowing that ‘front-loading’ may have occurred before they even were served could change their opinion of when a patron has had enough.”

Shannon R. Kenney, visiting assistant research professor and associate director of the Heads Up Research Lab in the Psychology Department at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, told Science Daily that pre-drinking only quite recently was identified and woven into empirical alcohol literature. Also known as “pre-partying” and “pre-gaming,” pre-loading is starting to draw attention from alcohol consumption researchers as a potentially risky activity.

Nathan Williams is a Brunswick personal injury lawyer, Brunswick divorce attorney, Brunswick criminal defense attorney and Brunswick DUI lawyer in Southeast Georgia. Visit http://www.thewilliamslitigationgroup.com or call 1.912.264.0848.

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