Although many college students spend most weekends drinking and partying, some students, including Logan Matthews, choose religion instead.
“(My) main motivation (for not drinking) is to be close to God, (and) getting drunk on a regular basis can get in the way of that,” said Matthews, a chemical engineering senior. “The vast majority of times I’m stressed or worried about things, my first reaction is to pray.”
Matthews’ reaction is not uncommon, as college students who use religious coping mechanisms, such as prayer and meditation, report less frequent and heavy alcohol use, according to a recent study conducted by MSU researchers.
Most parents of the students who use these coping methods also reported turning to religion when faced with stress.
The 129 students and their parents were recruited at MSU, but were not necessarily from MSU, said Zaje Harrell, an assistant professor of psychology and the study’s principal investigator.
“There is a pathway between parents’ religious coping and their college-age children’s religious coping,” Harrell said. “The more students use the religious coping, the less they are drinking.”
He said the research did not take into account the participant’s religion or how frequently they exercise it.
Matthews grew up in a Christian family and continued his religious practices in college by joining MSU’s Campus Crusade for Christ, or Cru, and attending church. He said he agrees with the research, and sees the findings to be true in his life.
Alumnus Derek DiCesare is an intern with MSU’s His House Christian Fellowship, which provides Christians with activities including worships, retreats and Bible studies. He said he chooses not to drink because of his family background, which includes an alcoholic parent, but his religion does not condemn alcohol entirely, only drinking in excess to the point of addiction.
“Some students believe it’s OK to drink socially to an extent as long as you are being responsible with it,” DiCesare said.
The study also found social support, which can be a part of religious communities, did not protect against alcohol use.
But DiCesare said students in religious groups already have friends, eliminating a potential reason to drink socially.
“We’re very much community based in our fellowship. Our fellowship is kind of like a family,” DiCesare said. “I think that does help with the social aspect of things.”
Social work senior Joanna Pyle said she was not raised in a strictly religious family, and she does not practice religion now. Pyle said she chooses to only drink a few times a month because of different reasons, including not wanting to deal with a hangover.
“Honestly, just being busy (and) not having the passion to do it,” Pyle said. “It’s not a value thing.”
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