Three studies were conducted with samples of first-year undergraduates in order to assess relationships among college drinking, adjustment, recent life-changing events, interpersonal factors, self-control, and perceived risk. Significant correlations were found between alcohol use and life-change, but not between alcohol use and college adjustment. In addition, several significant findings linked alcohol use to social factors. Responses to open-ended interview questions suggest that self-control and risk may play a role in students' decisions regarding consumption, after initial experience with alcohol use. Non-social factors, namely stressful events, appear to play a role in consumption behavior; however, students more frequently report on social factors as motivating their decisions regarding alcohol intake.
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