Study confirms that students in “substance-free” dorms drink less

Residents of college housing where alcohol and smoking were banned were less likely to be victims of actions by students who were drinking. Findings from the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study show that substance-free college residence halls are making an impact in the effort to reduce the harms that heavy drinking produces among college students. This was the first study to take a national look at the relationship between substance-free dorms and the effects of alcohol on college campuses. The study appeared in the January 2001 issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and was funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.