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Drinking in College: A History
of the Literature
The use of alcohol by college students throughout the history of the United
States is undeniable. According to Straus and Bacon (1953), many colleges in the 18 th
century featured: “... student canteens called ‘butteries’ where all sorts of supplies
including wines, beers, and liquors were sold” (p. 37). Beer and wine were also available
in many college dining halls. More than 200 years later, the University of Colorado at
Boulder, Florida State University, the University of Vermont, and the University of
Wisconsin-Madison each feature more than 150 venues that sell alcohol within two miles
of campus (Wechsler & Wuethrich, 2002). However, studies concerned with how many
college students drink, how often they drink, and how much they drink, are a relatively
new phenomenon.
The Early Work
Straus and Bacon (1953) are responsible for the first extensive research
concerned with the drinking habits of college students on a national scale. The book,
titled Drinking in College (Straus & Bacon, 1953), was groundbreaking because it
included more than 15,000 students and represented 27 colleges in its sample. The
colleges varied in size, geographical region, religiosity, and enrollment size.
Drinking in College was the first well-publicized study of its kind, but it is
now one of many. Until recently, however, the caliber of research left much to be desired.
Differing methods of measurement, varying definitions of terms, and inadequate sample
sizes were just some of the issues that made it hard to generalize the research to non-
participating institutions, or compare one study to another. Blane and Hewitt (1977)
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