Targeting students in their first week of college is critical in preventing them from becoming heavy drinkers in later life.

Researchers in the US have found that educating first-year students, who are fresh on campus, can stop their drinking habits from escalating to risky levels.

The researchers used two types of intervention - parent-based intervention and peer-based intervention - on a group of 1,275 students who had all been athletes in high school.

The students who were non-drinkers before starting college were subjected to parent-based intervention and were found to be unlikely to become heavy drinkers in the autumn semester of their first year.

The students who were heavy drinkers before starting college were more likely to curb their bad drinking habits after receiving either parent-based intervention or peer-based intervention....