Running head: PERSONAL INTERVENTION PLAN: ALCOHOL ABUSE 1. Personal Intervention Plan: Alcohol Abuse. Ezra Lockhart. University of Alaska Anchorage

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1 Running head: PERSONAL INTERVENTION PLAN: ALCOHOL ABUSE 1 Personal Intervention Plan: Alcohol Abuse Ezra Lockhart University of Alaska Anchorage

2 PERSONAL INTERVENTION PLAN: ALCOHOL ABUSE 2 Personal Intervention Plan: Alcohol Abuse The newly found freedom gained when entering college and leaving the nest may pose an increase in frequency of alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking in emerging adults. During the adolescent to adulthood transition particularly the period when exiting high school and entering college there are major challenges faced by those at this lifespan stage defined as emerging adulthood. As argued by Newcomb and Bentler, the want of an independent lifestyle in a changing landscape of social environment and role responsibility is one of the most critical passages in life (as cited in White et al., 2006). White and colleagues (2005) discovered that regardless of whether individuals leaving high school bound for college or not that an increase in alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking transpired. The findings that emerging adults exhibit higher rates of alcohol use was seen in groups pursuing post-secondary education and those entering the workforce were confirmed by Bingham and colleagues (2005). Additionally, two different studies conducted by Arnett in 2005 and Bachman et al. in 1997 found an increase in substance use during the lifespan transition encountered by emerging adults (as cited in White et al., 2006). The conclusion made by Bachman et al. in 1997 is that the college experience itself doesn t lead to the increase in alcohol use, but rather the change in living situation and lack of parental supervision (as cited in White et al., 2006). The main contributing factors to the increase of alcohol use during this period by emerging adults are separation from family, change in peer groups, decrease in social control, and increasing instability. A number of challenges that these individuals may face are moving out of the home, loss of support from high school friends, the frustrating task of trying to gain friends from outside their normal peer group, and the volatility that comes with the disruption in routine. Moreover, the decrease or absence of parental supervision in concert with an emphasis

3 PERSONAL INTERVENTION PLAN: ALCOHOL ABUSE 3 placed on the importance of creating and maintaining peer groups for support by emerging adults might increases substance use. A number of studies affirm that college bound students who move out of the parental living situation and into either a dormitory or off-campus housing with other young adults experience higher prevalence of heavy drinking and frequent drinking. Comparatively, college students who live with their parents exhibit lower rates of heavy drinking. The significant finding is potential risk factors for an increase in alcohol use during emerging adulthood are change of living situation and change in school status. Conversely, not all high school students making the transition out of the parental home and into independent living see an increase in the prevalence or frequency of substance abuse. Observing this fact potential high school protective factors buffer such individuals from the contributing risk factors that lead to increased substance use. Understanding that the contributing risk factors previously discussed lead to feelings of loss of social control and overall social instability it is important for emerging adults to have developed prosocial behaviors during high school. The average socializing experience consists of prosocial and antisocial behaviors with socializing agents in the framework of family, school, peer groups, religion, and community. To reinforce the development of prosocial behaviors high school students should engage in positive socializing experiences with their family, high school, non-substance using peer, and religious and community institutions the results of which leads to the individual s incorporation of prosocial beliefs by engaging in consistent opportunities for prosocial activities. In addition, high parental monitoring, low sensation seeking, involvement with non-substance using peers, high religiosity, high achievement in high school, and strong bonding in school are functional protective factors (White et al., 2006). For these reasons it is important to construct a successful personal intervention plan during the high school years to

4 PERSONAL INTERVENTION PLAN: ALCOHOL ABUSE 4 develop protective factors which in turn will decrease the risk of increased alcohol use during emerging adulthood. Cleveland, Feinberg, Bontempo, & Greenberg (2008) also championed the importance of disseminating and sustaining preventive interventions that target factors associated with adolescent alcohol use. Personal Intervention Plan In order to arm an emerging adult with as many protective factors as possible a personal intervention plan should be established and followed. This plan should be aimed towards the high school student at the junior or senior standing to provide them with ample time to develop and incorporate traits and skills to aid them against the risk factors which leads them to increased substance use after exiting the school district. The protective factors that this plan will address are extending parental monitoring, exposing high school students to the college campus earlier, encouraging the establishment of non-substance using peers, introducing individuals to community resources, and strengthening the individuals ties to religious institutions. With the intention of fostering the family protective factor high school students should explore the option of remaining in the parental household for the first year of college not only to save money, but to extend parental monitoring. The benefit beyond reduced student loans for housing is an adjustment period where the newly found college student is given breathing room to manage the transition of independent living and coping with stress gained when obtaining new role responsibility by entering post-secondary education. Additionally, as a measure to prepare the high school student for the expectations of college and reduce the stress gained from added role responsibilities college orientations and tours during the junior or senior year of high school is recommended. The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) offers high school transition

5 PERSONAL INTERVENTION PLAN: ALCOHOL ABUSE 5 programs which not only presents an opportunity to tour the campus, but provides insight to the look and feel of the college experience. Also available at UAA is the course offering of Guidance 150 (GUID A150): Creating Success in College for entering college students. This important resource is designed to assist students in making a successful transition by exploring academic, personal, and career issues. Students also discuss how they are responsible for their own college experience and learn to develop study skills and awareness of their personal study styles all of which reduce instability. To facilitate the acquisition of non-substance using peers, students will be encourages to participate in college activities hosted by UAA Student Activities which are aimed at student body resource awareness and safe non-substance recreational alternatives. At these events students will be able to social network and build new circle of friends that will support them in their decision not to abuse substances. Events located in the community with this specific aim such as Saturday Night Clean and Sober Dance hosted at the Alano Club and similar events hosted by Tap Root in Anchorage are available for those 18 and over. Events such as these provide opportunities for emerging adults to be part of an inclusive environment and gain a sense of community without the peer pressure to imbibe alcohol or engage in other recreational substance use. Lastly, those emerging adults with a religious background must be encouraged to continue to be engaged in their religious studies and activities. By continuing to practice religious and spiritual interests with like-minded peers students will keep intact their social support structure. This support structure will aid in protecting individuals from increasing alcohol use by providing an outlet to cope with the volatility that comes with disruption in routine.

6 PERSONAL INTERVENTION PLAN: ALCOHOL ABUSE 6 In observing the current research and implementing a personal intervention plan that spans from the junior or senior year of high school and well into the college years students will be exposed to protective facts that support prosocial interactions and experiences. By remaining in the parental household during the first year of college; being exposed to the college campus via an orientation; enrolling in high school to college transition programs and college offered survival skills courses; participating in community sponsored non-alcoholic social functions; and continuing to engage in religious studies and activities these measures will provide opportunities for emerging adults to incorporate prosocial behaviors and protect against the risk of increased alcohol use after high school.

7 PERSONAL INTERVENTION PLAN: ALCOHOL ABUSE 7 References Bingham, C.R., Shope, J.T., & Tang, X. (2005). Drinking behavior from high school to young adulthood: Differences by college education. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 29(12), Cleveland, M. J., Feinberg, M. E., Bontempo, D. E., & Greenberg, M. T. (2008). The role of risk and protective factors in substance use across adolescence. Journal of Adolescent Health, 43, doi: /j.jadohealth White, H.R., Labouvie, E.W., & Papadaratsakis, V. (2005). Changes in substance use during the transition to adulthood: A comparison of college students and their noncollege age peers. Journal of Drug Issues, 35, White, H.R, Mcmorris, B.J.,Catalano, R.F., Fleming, C.B., Haggerty, K.P., Abbott, R.D. (2006). Increases in alcohol and marijuana use during the transition out of high school into emerging adulthood: The effects of leaving home, going to college, and high school protective factors. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 67(6),