USF St. Pete studies alcohol's effect on college students and couples

TAMPA, Fla. (Fox 13) - College students tend to overestimate how much their peers may be drinking and, in return, drink more themselves, according to research at the University of South Florida's St. Pete campus.

Lindsey Rodriguez, USF St. Pete’s assistant professor of psychology, has been conducting the  research regarding alcohol use in college kids and couples, realizing that a large part of the college experience is the social aspect, which often times involves alcohol. 

This is what made Rodriguez want to conduct a study to find out how many drinks per week people on the St. Petersburg campus drink. The results of the study found that students average four drinks a week.

Her hope is that this corrects the misconception and college students realize they have been overestimating the amount their peers are drinking. 

The other part of her research relates to alcohol and couples. She said the study on what people in an established relationship do when they believe their partner is drinking too much. 

“I work with couples to be deliberate about the role of alcohol in their relationship,” Rodriguez said. 

She stresses that it is important to act constructively and softly when talking to your significant other about their drinking problem. 

Rodriguez made it clear that her ultimate goal for both studies is to reduce the amount of alcohol related consequences.