Boozy Betty serves up lessons on drink risks

SHE is the hard-drinking, hard-living poster girl around campus. But with weight problems, poor grades and a raft of sexually transmitted diseases, Boozy Betty is hardly a good role model.

The stereotypical party girl was introduced at Heriot-Watt University to remind students about the downside of drinking too much.

Now the National Union of Students is considering rolling her out nationwide, while Heriot-Watt is preparing a similar campaign aimed at male students. Research about alcohol warnings revealed students at the university were more concerned about acne or a beer belly, rather than liver disease or kidney failure.

So Heriot-Watt's student welfare staff created Boozy Betty for a series of posters, leaflets and information cards to be distributed around campus and pubs.

Christine Johnston, who is leading the campaign, said: "We're in the process of negotiating with the NUS for something to go nationwide. We are going to do more formal analysis over the coming weeks but the informal feedback so far has been good. Students say it is a message that strikes a chord with them.

"It's been done in a witty way and the message is one people can connect with."

The posters show a week in Boozy Betty's life, revealing how her drinking affects her coursework, finances, weight and personal judgement.

Meanwhile, the Edinburgh and Lothian Council for Alcohol (ELCA) is piloting a fortnightly drop-in session for Heriot-Watt students on Riccarton Campus until March.

Liam Burns, president of the university's student's association, said: "I've had lots of feedback from female students about the Boozy Betty Campaign, all of it positive. Concepts like liver disease and heart problems are often abstract to young people."

He added that alcohol abuse was a national problem and, with the average student now working 20 hours a week, "the stereotype of students living in the bar is a dated one to say the least".

Maider Trull, 23, a second year maths student at Heriot-Watt, said: "It's the simple things that the Boozy Betty posters make you think about – have I been missing lectures? Can I remember everything from last night? Why am I looking rough?"

The initiative has been backed by the Edinburgh Action on Alcohol and Drugs team. Chairman Tom Wood said: "We know that university and college is a period of great change and challenge in a person's life, and can be extremely influential in establishing patterns for life including drinking and the normalising of excessive drinking."

We asked students in the Heriot-Watt union bar whether their peers paid enough attention to warnings about the dangers of binge drinking?

Ali Emadi, 25, PhD student of petroleum engineering, from Riccarton campus: "No. I've regularly seen students drink too much. Sometimes the fire alarm goes on campus because a drunk person has pressed it. I'm from Iran, but before I came here I lived in France. People drink more in Scotland."

Anna Carmichael, 22, French student, Morningside: "No. We all know about the dangers but most people ignore them. Women should drink less than men for their health but most like to be seen to hold their own."