What is Alcohol?
- Alcohol (or ethanol/ethyl alcohol) is the substance in alcoholic beverages like beer, wine, or spirits that causes the behavioral, psychological, and physiological effects on your body.
- One drink is equal to 12 fl oz of beer (about 5% alcohol), 5 fl oz of wine (about 12% alcohol), and 1.5 fl oz of distilled spirits such as vodka, tequila, rum, whiskey, etc. (about 40% alcohol)
Prevalence
- 53.6% of full-time college students ages 18-22 admit to drinking in the past month- significantly higher than the rate for non-students of the same age group.
- The first 6 weeks of freshman year are very dangerous in terms of substance use because of new social and peer pressures. Learning and understanding about safe and responsible ways to drink is critical very early on to prevent harm.
Effects
- Alcohol is a ‘sedative hypnotic’ drug, which means it acts to depress or slow down your central nervous system at high doses.
- At low doses, alcohol can act as a stimulant and produce feelings of euphoria and extroverted behavior, but too much within a short period of time can lead to drowsiness, respiratory depression, coma or even death.
Myths and Alcohol
If I drink too much, coffee will sober me up.
The caffeine in coffee may help you stay awake. However, it will not improve your coordination or decision-making skills. There are many misconceptions surrounding sobriety and/or hangover cures. In fact, the only thing that can make you sober again is time. The amount of time it takes to become sober is based on the number of drinks and your BAC level.
I do not have a problem, because I can hold my liquor.
Being able to have a few drinks without feeling any effects may seem like a good thing, but in reality, if you need to drink increasing amounts of alcohol to feel an effect, it could be a sign you have a problem with alcohol.
It's just beer; it can't permanently damage me.
Any kind of alcohol, if misused, can cause severe and long-term damage to your overall health. Alcohol abuse can damage your brain, heart, liver, stomach and other critical organs, and it can lead to certain types of cancer, potentially taking years away from your life.
Eating before I drink will keep me sober.
Having food in your stomach when you drink will delay the absorption of alcohol, but does not stop it from entering your bloodstream. The amount of alcohol that you drink will still affect your BAC, whether it is large or small.
One drink will not affect my driving.
Although one drink might not make you feel drunk, any amount of alcohol that you drink will impair your judgment and delay your response time. It can take as little as a second to react to an object and stop your car while driving, and even a miniscule slow down in that reaction time can be fatal. Do yourself a favor and call a friend or an Uber instead!
If someone passes out after drinking, it is best to let them sleep it off.
If someone passes out after they have been drinking, you should never leave them alone. Call 911, and make sure they stay rolled on their side to avoid choking.
Signs of alcohol poisoning;
- Confusion
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Slow breathing (less than eight breaths a minute)
- Irregular breathing (a gap of more than 10 seconds between breaths)
- Blue-tinged skin or pale skin
- Low body temperature (hypothermia)
- Passing out (unconsciousness) and can't be awakened
If you are under 21 and drinking on campus, know that you CAN and SHOULD call 911 if you or a friend is showing signs of alcohol poisoning. Amnesty will ensure that you will not face legal charges for drinking underage- it is more important that you get yourself or your friend the medical help that they need.
Problem Drinking
Problem drinking behavior isn’t about what you drink, it’s about how your drinking affects your everyday life. If you are able to answer yes to any of these questions, you may want to consider seeking guidance about your habits:
- Do you often drink more or longer than you wanted to?
- Have you had trouble cutting down on drinking or stopping entirely, even though you tried/really wanted to?
- Do you spend a lot of time drinking, being sick from drinking, or getting over the effects of drinking?
- Is your urge to drink so strong, you cannot think about anything else?
- As a result of drinking, do you have a hard time living up to your expectations at home, work, or school?
- Do you continue to drink, even if it is affecting your relationships with family, friends, or loved ones?
- Do you find yourself spending less time or becoming more disinterested in activities you used to enjoy? Instead of these activities, are you choosing to drink instead?
- Has your drinking led to situations in which you or someone else could have been injured, such as driving while drunk or having unsafe sex?
- Do you continue to drink despite becoming depressed, anxious, forgetful, or having other related health problems?
- Do you find yourself needing to drink more to feel the same effects of alcohol that you are used to feeling?
- When the alcohol wears off, do you feel symptoms of withdrawal (these could include tremors, sweating, nausea, insomnia, seizures or hallucinations)?
