Inaccurate beliefs about normative drinking could promote excessive drinking. Collegiate norms coupled with an alcohol-permissive society could encourage alcohol misuse and impose sanctions on those who do not drink. Medical students should be the first target population for medical education and interventions against alcohol misuse because they have not yet definitively formed their lifestyles and their attitude towards alcohol at the beginning of their studies. Medical students are sensitive to medico-social problems, and because they will later become physicians they should be the leaders in the fight against alcoholism. Excessive alcohol consumption among medical students has been a concern of the medical profession for many years.
Alcohol use is integrated into cultural norms of Hungarian society.
Despite the high values and rates, no widespread systemic substance misuse training exists at medical universities in this country. Epidemiological studies on alcohol consumption in the population are helping in the design of primary and secondary preventive measures. A study was conducted using a sample of 250 fifth-year students at the University Medical School of Debrecen, Hungary. Some of the original questions were sligthly modified so that they could meet local circumstances. Students were classified as abstainers, light drinkers, frequent drinkers or heavy drinkers based on how often and how much alcohol they consumed on each drinking occasion.