OBJECTIVES: This exploratory study examined pre-event drinking, or pregaming, by US college students. PARTICIPANTS: 112 undergraduates from 10 Pennsylvania colleges participated. METHOD: A focus group, including a written questionnaire, was conducted at each institution. RESULTS: Only 35.7 of the participants had not pregamed during the last 2 weeks. Pregamers consumed an average of 4.9 (SD = 3.1) drinks during their most recent session. Gender, class year, and other demographic variables did not predict pregaming. Heavier drinkers, and those stating that the average student pregamed 3+ times in the last 2 weeks, were more likely to report pregaming in the last 2 weeks. How much students drink when pregaming is influenced by how much they expect to drink later on. CONCLUSION: Pregaming presents a growing challenge for campus officials. Additional research is needed on the nature of the problem and which combination of prevention strategies might best address this behavior.
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