Understanding the "social gifts" of drinking rituals: An alternative framework for PSA developers

Binge drinking behavior has been described as the most significant health h azard on college campuses today. Using definitions of ritual behavior drawn from the literature, the authors conducted focus groups, depth interviews, and participant observations to explore the ritualized nature of alcohol b everage consumption among college students at two large universities. The t hemes that emerged provide an understanding of the rituals associated with college student drinking. With the drinking-as-ritual interpretation as a t heoretical framework, the authors discuss how developers of public service announcements (PSAs) could capture and contextualize drinking rituals and t hus make PSAs more relevant to the target audience. They provide examples o f PSAs that could be tested.