Students encouraged to drink sensibly

THE INTRODUCTION of mandatory alcohol and drug testing for students at Irish universities would be draconian, but a sensible approach to drinking and overall health should be encouraged, a conference in Cork has heard.

Dr Chris Luke, consultant in A&E medicine at Cork University and Mercy Hospitals, pointed out that 10 years ago university campuses were awash with cheap booze - now many of the universities had managed to get rid of that culture, but students were drinking at home instead.

"Many students are now living in sumptuously appointed apartments with plasma screens close to supermarkets where they can get hot food and cheap booze 24/7. They buy slabs of booze and party at home before going on to pubs and night clubs," he said.

Dr Luke pointed out that more than half of the 1.26 million visits to Irish emergency departments every year were a result of alcohol, drugs and violence.

Speaking at the annual conference of the Irish Student Health Association in Cork, Dr Luke said he opposed the introduction of mandatory testing for alcohol and drugs among students, saying this was a very extreme way to police students.

"I would be very wary of a high-handed approach to student health. Students should be given the support to live healthy lives on campus and there should be trust on both sides," he said.

"The curriculum should be engineered so that students are not overloaded with work and the campus should be engineered so that they can play sports, debate, be involved in societies etc, to indulge the non-academic brain as well."

Through education, Dr Luke said a sensible approach to drinking and overall health could be encouraged.

Dr Michael Byrne, president of the Irish Student Health Association and head of student health services at UCC said the aim of the conference, which was hosted at the Cork university this year, was to share best practice and raise the profile of the health issues students faced.

He highlighted the importance of having health-promoting policies on campuses and ensuring that students had enough time for recreation and sport as well as supports to deal with stress and pressure.

"It's very important to have a meaningful college alcohol policy which limits the supply of very cheap, readily available alcohol on campus and in the surrounding areas.

"We also need to provide on-site services for students dealing with alcohol problems, sexual health, drug addiction and mental health issues," he said.

Dr Byrne highlighted the fact that alcohol had come down in cost while at the same time, the disposable income of students had increased.