What social media reveals about college drinking

The following is from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

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Social media may reveal a lot about an underage college student's drinking. Researchers looked at language students used on sites like Facebook to describe their drinking, and at the students' reports of how much they drank.

At the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Dr. Megan Moreno says students who commonly used terms like "wasted" were more likely to be problem drinkers.  So she says people who care about those students could talk with them about getting help:

"I think our study provides some evidence that, if they are worried, they probably have a legitimate reason to be able to approach that person and start that conversation." (9 seconds)

The study in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine was supported by the National Institutes of Health.