Women’s Ways of Drinking: College Women, High-Risk Alcohol Use, and Negative Consequences

The purpose of this study was to explore college women’s high-risk alcohol use and related consequences. This study employed a qualitative approach to understand and provide visibility for a gender-related perspective on college women’s alcohol experiences and related outcomes. Data were collected from interviews with 10 undergraduate females at a large research university in the northeastern United States. The results of the data analysis generated four major themes, which include a conceptual model, the relational ritual reinforcement (R³), for understanding the recurring high-risk alcohol use and related negative consequences among some university women.