Beyond the Bottle – Rethinking Alcohol’s Role in Preventing Sexual Violence

By Maggie Bego, Director of Education, Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center 

As the school year begins, we’re not just welcoming students back to campus, we’re also revisiting conversations that matter deeply. For those of us in the field of sexual violence prevention, it’s the perfect time to reexamine how we talk about safety, consent, and risk, especially within the alcohol-fueled environments that dominate many college social lives. 

At DARCC’s recent Lunch & Learn, Dr. Tiffany Marcantonio delivered a presentation that struck a deep chord. Titled “Alcohol and Sexual Violence: How does alcohol impact prevention efforts?”, her talk was both data-driven and deeply human, offering a fresh and necessary perspective on why many traditional prevention efforts fall short. 

The Stats We Can’t Ignore 

Dr. Marcantonio opened with a sobering fact: despite decades of prevention programming, sexual violence victimization rates among young adults have not significantly decreased in nearly 50 years. For adolescents, the rates have remained stagnant for 20 years (Cantor et al., 2020, RAINN), demanding not just reflection, but evolution. 

A key takeaway? Alcohol is a major contributing factor, but our current prevention efforts rarely treat it with the nuance it deserves. 

Alcohol Isn’t Just a Substance, It’s a Setting 

Dr. Marcantonio’s research shows that sexual violence isn’t only about how much alcohol is consumed, it’s about where it’s consumed. Bars, parties, and tailgates aren’t just backdrops, they’re unique social environments that shape norms around flirting, boundaries, and sexual behavior (Marcantonio et al., 2024). 

In these settings, alcohol doesn’t just lower inhibitions, it often replaces intentional communication. It creates a kind of social shorthand where flirting, touching, and hooking up can happen with little or no verbal consent, leaving dangerous gaps in understanding and respect. 

“Pre-Consent” and the Problem with Assumptions 

In interviews with young adults, Dr. Marcantonio uncovered how alcohol often functions as an informal “cue” for consent. Phrases like “pre-consent” and “initial consent cues” emerged from students who described alcohol-oriented socializing, like pre-gaming or going out, as an assumed first step toward sex (Marcantonio, 2025). This framing is alarming, especially when it replaces actual communication. 

One participant explained that they wouldn’t feel comfortable initiating physical intimacy at a coffee shop, but said, “at a party with alcohol it just happens.” This perception reveals how entrenched alcohol is in the scripts young people use to navigate intimacy. 

Balancing Personal Responsibility and Context 

While alcohol undeniably shapes social interactions, experts emphasize that it does not excuse violating boundaries. Prevention educators like Dr. Emily Rothman stress that “consent must be clear, enthusiastic, and ongoing, regardless of the setting or substances involved” (Rothman, 2021). This underscores that perpetrators are responsible for their actions, and fostering a culture of enthusiastic consent remains vital. 

Listening to Student Voices 

Students themselves have voiced frustration with prevention messaging that sometimes feels disconnected from their realities. In interviews conducted by The Chronicle of Higher Education, students shared that “it feels unrealistic to separate alcohol from social interactions,” yet they also expressed a desire for clearer communication tools rather than just being told to “drink less.” This highlights the need for programs that meet young people where they are, respecting the complexities of college life. 

Intersectional and Community-Specific Perspectives 

It’s also important to recognize that alcohol’s role in sexual violence varies across communities. Research published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence reveals that race, gender identity, and cultural background influence how young people experience drinking and consent. Some cultural groups maintain strict social norms around alcohol, which changes the dynamics significantly. Prevention efforts must therefore be culturally responsive and tailored, rather than one-size-fits-all. 

Changing the Environment, Not Just the Individual 

Beyond education, experts point to institutional policies and environmental strategies as essential tools to reduce harm. The CDC’s Technical Package for the Prevention of Sexual Violence highlights how modifying social environments, like limiting alcohol availability at events, increasing safe transportation options, and creating alcohol-free social spaces, can complement educational efforts and make campuses safer. 

Critiquing Traditional Prevention Models 

Finally, some scholars and advocates critique traditional sexual violence prevention programs for focusing too heavily on individual behaviors without addressing larger societal issues. Alcohol is only one piece of a much larger puzzle that includes power imbalances, toxic masculinity, and gender inequality (Flood, 2020). Without addressing these systemic factors, prevention efforts risk falling short of creating lasting change. 

Prevention Needs a Makeover 

So where do we go from here? According to Dr. Marcantonio: 

• Stop separating alcohol education from sexual health education. They must be integrated to address the real-world dynamics students face. 

• Address the social norms, not just the drinks. It’s not enough to tell students to “drink less.” We need to unpack why alcohol is so linked to social and sexual behaviors in the first place. 

• Support boundary exploration without shame. Adolescence and young adulthood are full of trial and error, but an “error” involving sexual boundaries can have traumatic consequences. Young people are looking for tools and support, they need us to meet them there. 

As campuses reopen and students begin this chapter anew, this is the moment to expand our prevention lens. We can’t reduce sexual violence without talking about the real, messy, complex ways alcohol shapes young people’s experiences. Thanks to Dr. Marcantonio, we now have a clearer path forward and more urgency than ever to follow it. 

References 

Cantor, D., Fisher, B., Chibnall, S., Townsend, R., Lee, H., Bruce, C., & Thomas, G. (2020). Report on the AAU campus climate survey on sexual assault and sexual misconduct. RAINN. https://www.rainn.org/statistics 

Flood, M. (2020). Addressing sexual violence in universities: The need for a systemic approach. Sexualities, 23(5-6), 884-900. https://xyonline.net/sites/xyonline.net/files/2022-09/Flood%2C%20Literature%20review%20on%20Prevention%20best%20practice%202020.pdf  

Marcantonio, T., et al. (2024). Alcohol environments and sexual violence among young adults. Journal of Social Health.  

Marcantonio, T. (2025). Pre-consent and alcohol: Exploring social cues in college drinking culture. Journal of College Health.  

Rothman, E. F. (2021). Consent and sexual violence prevention: What the data tell us. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The Chronicle of Higher Education. (2023). Students and alcohol: Navigating consent in party culture 

Journal of Interpersonal Violence. (2021). Intersectionality in sexual violence: Race, gender identity, and alcohol use.  

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Technical package for the prevention of sexual violence.