College Students Overestimate Standard Drink Volumes; May Impact Their Reported Alcohol Use

College students overestimate how many ounces constitute standard servings of wine and liquor, according to a study of undergraduate students at a private university in the southern United States.

When asked how many ounces they thought constituted a single serving of beer, wine, or liquor in a shot or mixed drink, students defined wine and liquor more liberally than standard definitions commonly used by researchers and government agencies.

For example, the students' average definition of the amount of liquor in a mixed drink was more than twice the standard definitions. Furthermore, students asked to free-pour an average drink consistently poured drinks larger than the standard definitions.

According to the authors, these findings suggest that students who ignore the definition of a standard drink provided on alcohol surveys may be underreporting their drinking habits.

In addition, students' liberal definitions of drinks puts them at risk for hazardous drinking. For example, a male college student who is taught that binge drinking is five drinks will go well beyond the five-drink threshold by using his definition of a standard drink. The authors suggest that "alcohol education initiatives should include a component that addresses the issue of standard drink sizes."