1. Healthy Alcohol Choices
Non-Drinkers
Light Drinkers
Heavy
Drinkers
Healthy Alcohol Choices

2. Overview Alcohol affects everyone Your alcohol IQ?
Healthy Alcohol Choices - EduRisk
Overview
Alcohol affects everyone
Your alcohol IQ?
Blood Alcohol Content
Binge drinking and pre-gaming
When drinking becomes dangerous—what you can do
Keeping yourself and others safe, but still having fun
For most college students, college offers amazing freedom of choices. Alcohol affects everyone, including those who don’t drink, so it’s important to make the choice that’s right for you. This presentation will give you the information you need when you’re in a situation involving alcohol.
How much do you know about drinking—including how much alcohol is in different drinks? What does blood alcohol content really mean? Does alcohol have different effects on different people? What do terms like binge drinking and pre-gaming mean? At what point do alcohol choices become unsafe? When should you intervene to help a friend who has had too much to drink? How can you stay safe and still have fun? These are the topics we’ll cover in this short presentation.

3. Healthy Alcohol Choices - EduRisk
It’s Relevant to You
Non-drinkers will still encounter situations and challenges involving alcohol.
Light drinkers should understand limits, consequences, and ways to help friends.
Moderate+ drinkers will want to know if they’re typical and understand consequences.
Still deciding students will get objective, fact-based information on alcohol use.
This presentation is relevant to everyone here. Whether you never drink, drink occasionally, or drink more than you might want to admit, this information will help you.
College offers a lot of freedom, compared with high school. This may be the first time you’ve lived on your own. It may also be the first time you have easy access to alcohol. So it’s important to make choices that will be right for you.
Non-drinkers can easily end up in situations where alcohol is served, and there might be challenges. Light drinkers may find situations that tempt them to go beyond their limits. Moderate to heavy drinkers may want to learn strategies to drink less and still have fun. And students still deciding about alcohol use need information they can trust, to help them make healthy decisions. Let’s start by finding out how much you know about alcohol.

4. What’s Your Alcohol IQ? Which has the most alcohol?
Healthy Alcohol Choices - EduRisk
What’s Your Alcohol IQ?
Which has the most alcohol?
12 oz beer (5% alcohol)
5 oz glass of wine
Standard cocktail (1.5 oz, or 1 shot of liquor, with soda or juice)
Let’s check your alcohol IQ. Show of hands, please: which of these has the most alcohol?
Who thinks it’s a 12 ounce beer?
A 5 ounce glass of wine?
A standard cocktail, such as a margarita or a rum and coke?
[go to the next screen for the answer]

5. = = Alcohol IQ: Answers Most (not all) standard drinks are equivalent.
Healthy Alcohol Choices - EduRisk
Alcohol IQ: Answers
Most (not all) standard drinks are equivalent. = =
Actually, most standard drinks are equivalent in alcohol. Surprised?
The word “standard” is key here. If we replaced the 12-ounce beer with a 40-ounce bottle of malt liquor, we’d see a huge difference. That 40-ounce malt liquor is the equivalent of 6 beers, or 6 glasses of wine, and not just because of volume. Malt liquor and some specialty beers have as much as 12% alcohol, whereas a standard beer has just 5%. And if that cocktail has more than a shot of liquor in it, everything changes there too—each shot will be the equivalent of one beer or one glass of wine.

6. What’s Blood Alcohol Content?
Healthy Alcohol Choices - EduRisk
What’s Blood Alcohol Content?
BAC measures alcohol in the bloodstream.
Factors include:
Weight
Food consumption
Prescription drugs
Sex (not gender)
You’ve probably heard about BAC, which is blood alcohol content. BAC measures alcohol in the bloodstream. It’s a measure police use to determine if someone is driving under the influence of alcohol. A high BAC can mean a lost driver’s license—or a lot worse.
Factors such as weight, food you’ve consumed before and during drinking, and prescription drugs impact BAC. Women and men absorb alcohol differently, as you’ll see on the next slide. The difference has to do with physiology, not gender role.

7. Alcohol and Women Water weight Enzymes
Healthy Alcohol Choices - EduRisk
Alcohol and Women
Factors:
Water weight
Enzymes
Women absorb and metabolize alcohol differently from men. This can lead to higher concentrations of alcohol in a woman’s bloodstream even when she drinks the same amount as men of similar body weight.
Why? It’s because women and men have different percentages of water in their bodies, as well as different quantities of a key enzyme. It’s not fair, but it’s true: women are more vulnerable to the adverse consequences of alcohol use. On average, women absorb 30% more alcohol than men.
At this end of this presentation, I’ll show you where to find this handy calculator, so you can explore differences for each number of drinks over a span of two hours, from one drink through seven.
Women absorb 30% more alcohol than men

8. Binge Drinking Binging: drinking to .08 BAC in less than 2 hours
Healthy Alcohol Choices - EduRisk
Binge Drinking
Binging: drinking to .08 BAC in less than 2 hours
Pre-gaming/Preloading: Binging before an event, which increases the odds of:
Blackouts
Alcohol poisoning
Hangovers
Binge drinking is when someone drinks enough to bring his or her blood alcohol concentration to .08 or above. For men, that’s generally five or more drinks in two hours or less, and for women, it’s three or more drinks in two hours or less. As you know from the previous screen, weight and sex play a role here.
Binging before an event is particularly dangerous, since that generally means even more alcohol consumed in the course of an afternoon or evening. Binging doesn’t just increase the odds of a hangover. It can result in blackouts and alcohol poisoning.
Has anyone heard of pre-gaming or pre-loading? Show of hands, please, if you’ve heard either or both of these terms? These refer to binge drinking before an event starts, such as a tailgate party, or a party before the party. Binging already puts you in danger of health and safety consequences, but pre-gaming increases the odds of these problems. And there are worse consequences…

9. Alcohol Poisoning Can Kill
Healthy Alcohol Choices - EduRisk
Alcohol Poisoning Can Kill
Symptoms:
Passing out
Semi-consciousness
Vomiting
Slow or irregular breathing
Cold, clammy, pale, or bluish skin
Alcohol poisoning exists, and it can kill. It happens to real people, every year. More than 1800 students die each year from alcohol-related events. Symptoms of alcohol poisoning include passing out, weaving in and out of consciousness, vomiting, slow or irregular breathing, or cold, clammy skin. These are warning signs of alcohol poisoning.
Does alcohol poisoning always kill? Not always. But do you really want to take that chance?
You don’t have to take my word for it. Google any of these stories from the last few years:
Sydne Jacoby drank heavily one night and failed to notice tree roots on a sidewalk while she was walking with friends. She died from injuries. She was just 19., and she was a student at the University of Massachusetts.
Philip Dhanens, age 18, was from UC Fresno. He died from binge drinking as a part of a fraternity ritual. His BAC was .35.
Alyssa Lommel, age 19, participated in a drinking game involving shots of tequila in Her friends dropped her off but didn’t make sure she got inside. She spent nine hours outside and lost all her fingers and most of her toes to frostbite. That was at the University of Minnesota.
Kelsey Harris (23) and Brian McGrath (23) died when the car they were driving crashed into an office building. They had been celebrating Kelsey’s birthday at various bars.
You’ll find more stories, with more details, in the source I’ll give you at the end of this presentation.
“Sleeping it off” can be a death sentence

10. If You Suspect Alcohol Poisoning…
Healthy Alcohol Choices - EduRisk
If You Suspect Alcohol Poisoning…
Call 911
Turn an unconscious person on his/her side to prevent choking
Don’t take chances— call even if you’re not sure
Call 911
Turn an unconscious person on his/her side to prevent choking
Don’t take chances—call even if you’re not sure
What can you do if you think someone has alcohol poisoning? Quite a lot, actually.
The first step is to call 911. Don’t delay; it’s better to be safe than sorry. If you don’t make the call and are wrong, the other student could end up dead.
Don’t take chances. If you think someone is in trouble, make the call. And if you can, turn the person on his or her side. Someone with alcohol poisoning can easily vomit and choke to death.

11. Possible Consequences of Alcohol Abuse
Healthy Alcohol Choices - EduRisk
Possible Consequences of Alcohol Abuse
Greater vulnerability to:
Physical Assault
Injuries
DUI
Loss of driver’s license
Fewer job prospects
There are many other negative consequences from alcohol abuse. Think about the role of alcohol in each of these.
Assaults by a student who was drinking. How common do you think this is? 1,000? 5,000? Who says more?
The answer may shock you: more than 690,000 students each year are assaulted by another student who has been drinking.
Injuries often occur when alcohol impairs judgment. Think about all the harm that can result from lack of coordination, lack of focus, or just plain bad judgment. Want a number? More than 600,000. People slip, trip, and fall. Reaction times are slower, so intoxicated people may not see a danger in time to do something about it.
And DUIs, or Driving Under the Influence offenses, can have serious consequences. You might lose your driver’s license. And a lot of job applications ask if you’ve ever been convicted of a crime or misdemeanor. Do you really want that on your record? It can have an effect on which jobs you do and don’t get.
[Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism]

12. Other Serious Consequences
Healthy Alcohol Choices - EduRisk
Other Serious Consequences
Health issues
Depression/suicide
Academic problems
Health issues can be caused or made worse by alcohol. Alcohol doesn’t just cause liver disease. Heavy drinking can increase the risk of anemia, certain types of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other conditions.
Alcohol consumption can also increase feelings of depression and hopelessness. If you have to guess, what percentage of suicide victims were legally drunk? Who thinks 10%? 20% 25%? [wait for a show of hands]. That’s right: 25%. That means one in every four suicide victims was legally drunk.
Academics are also affected. Think about missing classes or tests, missing study time, not being able to focus because you’re hung over or still drunk, and generally not making the best use of your abilities. Did you know 25% of college students say that drinking has affected their grades?
[Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism]
What percentage of suicide victims were legally drunk?

13. Healthy Alcohol Choices - EduRisk
How Can I Help?
Find or be a designated driver who has not been drinking
Hide keys
Help the intoxicated person get home (walk, taxi)
Step in if you hear someone being pressured to drink (drunks distract easily)
Switch out an alcoholic beverage with a soft drink
What can you do if you see that someone has drunk a little—or a lot—too much? Quite a lot, actually.
If you suspect alcohol poisoning, call 911 as soon as you find a phone. If you’re just concerned that your friend can’t get home safely, or might be taken advantage of, there are ways you can help. For starters, help your friend get home safely. Find a designated driver, or be that driver, if you haven’t had anything to drink. Hide the person’s car keys. (Not the keys to their room, please!) What if you can’t find a designated driver to take the person home? Or if the designated driver shouldn’t really be designated? Never risk your own safety. Walk your friend home yourself, if you can do so safely. Or if it’s too far, suggest a taxi, and call one.
If you hear someone being pressured to drink, or pressured to go home with someone who might take advantage of him or her, step in. It’s not hard. Drunks do distract easily! Start a conversation that doesn’t have to do with drinking. Talk about classes. Remember that source I mentioned earlier? It’s a short online course with a lot of great videos with students talking about safe ways to help others.
Another good way to help is switching out drinks. Bring the person a soft drink instead of an alcoholic one. He or she might not even notice.

14. If You Choose to Drink… Eat first Drink lots of water
Healthy Alcohol Choices - EduRisk
If You Choose to Drink…
Eat first
Drink lots of water
Alternate alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic drinks
Pace yourself
Skip drinking games and preloading
Don’t mix alcohol with energy drinks or medicines
Know how you’ll get home
Have and be a buddy
OK, so what if you don’t want to be a designated driver? What if you choose to drink at a party or an event? Here are some strategies to keep you safe.
Eat first. You’ll need something to help absorb the alcohol.
Drink lots of water or other non-alcoholic drinks. Try to alternate them.
Pace yourself. Look at your watch, and try to keep it to no more than one alcoholic drink every minutes.
Definitely skip the drinking games and preloading. Those can be huge danger zones.
Keep in mind that mixing alcohol with certain other substances can be really dangerous. Many prescription medicines have warnings about alcohol use.
And energy drinks don’t mix well with alcohol either.
If the party isn’t within walking distance, plan how you’ll get home before you go out. That might be as simple as having a taxi cab number or shuttle bus schedule on your phone.
Lastly, it’s good to have a buddy watching out for you—and to be a buddy. A buddy can walk you home and be a second set of eyes to watch out for dangerous situations.

15. Student-Friendly Information
Healthy Alcohol Choices - EduRisk
Student-Friendly Information
For more information, you can access a great interactive course online. It’s called “Know Your Limit.” This short course includes truths and myths about how to sober up, a fun quiz to measure your alcohol IQ, and an interactive scenario in which you navigate drinking choices at a party, then see your results. This short course coves all of the information presented here, with additional information, including ways to avoid trouble spots. It also has videos of real college students discussing their coping mechanisms and experiences.

16. A Personalized Online Tool
Healthy Alcohol Choices - EduRisk
A Personalized Online Tool
The website also has a cool online tool you can use to get your own drinking profile. You’ll discover your personal drinking patterns and motivations and learn some new strategies. You’ll also have a chance to spin the Wheel of Risk, which shows the kinds of things that could happen to you based on your current profile. And it’s all anonymous.

17. Questions Healthy Alcohol Choices - EduRisk
[This is a good time to mention your campus resources or policies.]
Does anyone have any questions?

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