Half of the sexual assaults reported by Oxford students involved a perpetrator who had used drugs or been drinking beforehand. That finding is renewing calls for stronger substance abuse prevention on campus. Universities, researchers argue, cannot keep treating substance use as background noise while focusing solely on managing harm after it happens.

A Second Wave of Findings

The Our Space study is now in its second wave. It found one in five Oxford students have experienced attempted or forced sexual touching, or rape, within the past year. Sexual harassment proved even more widespread. Over two thirds of respondents reported at least one incident, a sharp rise from over half in the first survey. That rise strengthens the case for treating substance abuse prevention as central to the university’s response.

Substance Use as a Clear Risk Factor

Researchers who led the project say the substance use finding deserves far greater attention. Lead author Bridget Steele told Times Higher Education that alcohol and substance use represent a clear risk factor for perpetration. That claim rests on one detail: more than half of assaults involved a perpetrator who had used alcohol or drugs. For those pushing drug and alcohol prevention, the figures offer rare, quantifiable evidence for policy change.

A Narrow Focus on Protection

Conversations about drinking and drug taking on campus have long centred on protecting potential victims. Universities promote so called responsible drinking and warn students to stay safe on nights out. Steele argues that this framing is too narrow. She wants institutions to examine how substance use pushes some people toward harm, not only how it leaves others exposed. Little of that messaging currently touches on structured substance abuse prevention itself.

The Case for Genuine Prevention

That shift in thinking points toward a different solution. Universities could invest more heavily in genuine drug and alcohol prevention instead of pouring resources solely into managing risk once drinking has already begun. Curbing the availability and normalisation of heavy substance use within student culture would target the problem at its root, long before it reaches the point of harm.

Oxford’s Response Falls Short

Little in Oxford’s current response suggests that this approach sits high on the agenda. From the 2026 to 27 academic year, the university plans a bespoke online training programme for new students, alongside consent education already offered across colleges. These steps are useful. Even so, they mostly address behaviour after exposure to alcohol and drugs, rather than reducing that exposure itself. There is little sign of dedicated substance abuse prevention funding within these plans.

New Regulatory Conditions

Researchers conducted the survey before the Office for Students introduced new regulatory conditions in August 2025. Those conditions set fresh expectations for how universities handle complaints and monitoring of sexual misconduct. Researchers note that student experiences may shift as the requirements take hold. The conditions themselves say little about substance abuse prevention as a driver of harm on campus.

Why Training Alone Is Not Enough

Steele also sits on the Office for Students advisory group for its national harassment survey. She believes universities are moving in a positive direction by offering consent training. Her own findings point to something further: training alone cannot address a risk factor rooted in what students are drinking, and how freely they can obtain it. Embedding drug and alcohol prevention alongside consent education would close that gap.

Who Is Committing These Assaults

Men made up most of the perpetrators identified in the survey. Fellow students were the most common offenders, and almost a third had been a romantic or former romantic partner of the person assaulted. Nearly all reported incidents took place at university locations, settings where alcohol and drug use run tightly through everyday student life.

The Case for Substance Abuse Prevention

The link between substance use and perpetration looks clear in this data. Reducing the substances themselves deserves a central place in how universities respond. Managing the consequences of drinking and drug use is not enough on its own. Effective substance abuse prevention, not damage control after the fact, is what this evidence increasingly demands.

Source: dbrecoveryresources