The Influence of Religiosity and Spirituality on Drinking Behaviors: Differences between Students Attending Two Southern Universities

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if students (n = 431) from two southern universities—one in the “buckle” of the Bible-belt, the other a southern “border” state—have different drinking behaviors depending on their religiosity and spirituality. Approximately 95% of students indicated that they had at least one drink of alcohol during their lives, with almost 82% reporting that they used alcohol in the past 30 days. Binge drinking among underage students increased every year (approximately 43% to almost 70%). Students from the buckle university had higher degrees of religiosity and spirituality and reported fewer unhealthy drinking behaviors than those from the border university. By creating a learning environment where students are encouraged to increase the spiritual dimension of health, health educators may alleviate potentially deadly consequences of alcohol.