HEALTHY MONDAY!
Alcohol Awareness
From: http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov
What is “High Risk” Drinking?
High-risk college student drinking includes the following:
Underage drinking
Drinking and driving or other activities where the use of alcohol is dangerous
Drinking when health conditions or medications make use dangerous
Binge drinking; that is, 5 drinks in a row per occasion for males and 4 for females
The consequences of excessive and underage drinking affect virtually all college campuses, college communities, and college students, whether they choose to drink or not. Here are the facts of drinking:
Death: 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes (Hingson et al., 2009).
Injury: 599,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol (Hingson et al., 2009).
Assault: 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking (Hingson et al., 2009).
Sexual Abuse: 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape (Hingson et al., 2009).
Unsafe Sex: 400,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 had unprotected sex and more than 100,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex (Hingson et al., 2002).
Academic Problems: About 25 percent of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall (Engs et al., 1996; Presley et al., 1996a, 1996b; Wechsler et al., 2002).
Health Problems/Suicide Attempts: More than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem (Hingson et al., 2002), and between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use (Presley et al., 1998).
Drunk Driving: 3,360,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 drive under the influence of alcohol (Hingson et al., 2009).
Vandalism: About 11 percent of college student drinkers report that they have damaged property while under the influence of alcohol (Wechsler et al., 2002).
Property Damage: More than 25 percent of administrators from schools with relatively low drinking levels and over 50 percent from schools with high drinking levels say their campuses have a "moderate" or "major" problem with alcohol-related property damage (Wechsler et al., 1995).
Police Involvement: About 5 percent of 4-year college students are involved with the police or campus security as a result of their drinking (Wechsler et al., 2002), and 110,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are arrested for an alcohol-related violation such as public drunkenness or driving under the influence (Hingson et al., 2002).
Alcohol Abuse and Dependence: 31 percent of college students met criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse and 6 percent for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence in the past 12 months, according to questionnaire-based self-reports about their drinking (Knight et al., 2002).
Alcohol Poisoning
Excessive drinking can be hazardous to everyone's health! It can be particularly stressful if you are the sober one taking care of your drunk roommate, who is vomiting while you are trying to study for an exam.
Some people laugh at the behavior of others who are drunk. Some think it's even funnier when they pass out. But there is nothing funny about the aspiration of vomit leading to asphyxiation or the poisoning of the respiratory center in the brain, both of which can result in death.
Do you know about the dangers of alcohol poisoning? When should you seek professional help for a friend? Sadly enough, too many college students say they wish they would have sought medical treatment for a friend. Many end up feeling responsible for alcohol-related tragedies that could have easily been prevented.
Common myths about sobering up include drinking black coffee, taking a cold bath or shower, sleeping it off, or walking it off. But these are just myths, and they don't work. The only thing that reverses the effects of alcohol is time-something you may not have if you are suffering from alcohol poisoning. And many different factors affect the level of intoxication of an individual, so it's difficult to gauge exactly how much is too much.
Here are some tips to cut back on drinking.
CalU Alcohol Policy
California University is committed to providing a substance-free campus. In fact, the University prohibits the possession, use or sale of alcohol and other mind-altering substances on campus. California University of Pennsylvania, as required by the Drug-Free School and Communities Act Amendments of 1989 (Public law 101-226), hereby declares that the unlawful manufacture, possession, use or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by students and employees is prohibited at any university activity. Students violating this policy will be subject to the penalties and procedures prescribed in �€•Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities: Student Code of Conduct�€– promulgated in 1998. In response to issues, concerns and services associated with students, California University provides awareness activities through its Wellness program and education intervention through its CHOICES program. Please refer to CHOICES (724.938.5507) for additional information on these programs.
For more information or if you have any questions, please contact:
Fran Fayish: fayish@calu.edu or call x 5922.