Background: To reduce problem drinking, interventions must be directed toward those factors associated with problem drinking. Purpose: This study examined how perceptions of the role of alcohol related to problem drinking among a convenience sample of 301 college students. Methods: Fifteen items concerned with drinking behavior or perceptions regarding the effects of alcohol and were subjected to factor and multiple regression analyses. Results: Three factors emerged: problem drinking, social bonding and sexual attractiveness. Adjusted multiple regression analysis by gender, using problem drinking as the dependent variable, indicated that for both males and females the perception that alcohol facilitates social bonding and the perception that alcohol enhances sexual attractiveness together accounted for a significant (P less than 0.0001) amount of the variation in problem drinking (R2 = 0.312 for females and R2 = 0.204 for males) with social bonding as the more important factor (R2 = 0.283 for females and R2 = 0.202 for males). Discussion: Programs to address problematic drinking should consider incorporating strategies designed to: (1) help students identify ways to promote healthy social bonding, and (2) demonstrate that problem drinking can often be detrimental to social bonding. Translation to Health Education Practice: Health educators should help college students identify positive ways to promote social bonding that avoid problem drinking. (Contains 3 tables.)