Telling the real story on alcohol use

  • Published
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  The results from the Spring 2012 survey titled "Questionnaire of Airmen Alcohol Use - Spring 2012" have been tabulated for each U.S. Air Force base recently.

A report of the social-norms project's responses to the questionnaire was provided to the contact persons for each base taking part in the project, to include Minot AFB, N.D.

Results from this survey showed that the majority of Airmen make healthy decisions about alcohol use.

However, as predicted by the social norms model, many misperceive that peers are much more permissive in their attitudes and behaviors regarding alcohol than is actually the case.

"The social-norms project is a new approach targeting alcohol use," said Capt. Jonathan Doti, 5th Medical Operations Squadron clinical psychologist and ADAPT program manager. "The research in this area indicates that people, and especially younger individuals, have an inaccurate perception of what constitutes normal drinking."

According to the survey, Airmen age 18 to 24 on Minot AFB erroneously think their peers, in general, are far more likely to support and practice risky or problematic drinking than is the reality.

The data show this is true regarding attitudes, the frequency of alcohol use, the quantities of alcohol consumed, and the prevalence of intoxication and its consequences.

Certainly the data shows alcohol abuse is a problem among a minority of Airmen. However, as much research also shows, the misperception of heavy peer alcohol use as the norm is a strong risk factor for individual heavy alcohol use.

"The goal of the social-norms project is to inform us what is actually occurring related to drinking attitudes and behaviors on Minot AFB," said Doti. "Additionally, the social-norms approach seeks to increase the level of awareness and discussion related to alcohol use."

The project is geared to help reduce these erroneous and harmful misperceptions of peer Airmen alcohol use by presenting, in a variety of venues, the actual healthy norms for alcohol use.

"Ultimately, the aims of the social-norms project are accurate and factual baselines of drinking behaviors in order to reset alcohol use perceptions," added Doti.