Fall '03 Edition
Many students still uneducated about alcohol's effects
Zack Creglow
Daily Egyptian
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Many hear about how alcohol impairs a person, but what they know is often vague. Few are aware of how alcohol actually affects a person at certain levels.
Most people are aware of .08, because it is a level that if they drive on the road, they could wake up with a bill in the thousands.
But even at .06, a person's chances of crashing while driving home is doubled than what a sober person's are.
"Not a lot of students know the effects of alcohol," said Ken Culton, coordinator of the Wellness Center. "It's relatively simple to do the right thing and that is to keep yourself under .08 or if there's any doubt whatsoever, you simply don't drive. What I encourage students to do is to take control of that before you even go out."
One problem that factors into the mix is many students may have a high tolerance and don't realize what BAC they are at.
With many factors not calculated in, for an average-sized male around 5-foot-10, 165-pounds to stay below .08, they should only consume one drink per hour. The Wellness Center offers apparatuses for free that a person can use to calculate their BAC and be more accurate. Culton said he suggests drinking a non-alcoholic beverage for every alcoholic drink.
At the .09-.14 BAC level, motor skills are impaired substantially, along with judgment. A person will begin to talk louder than usual and may become belligerent. People typically overestimate their skills at these levels and believe they have the capabilities to still drive home, a drive that is now six to 10 times more likely to end in a crash.
Many people believe they are at lower levels because they have been consuming beer instead of hard liquor or wine. That is one of the biggest misconceptions regarding the students Culton lectures.
"Students don't seem to know that beer does not represent a safer drink or less alcohol than a shot," Culton said. "They contain the same equivalent amounts. I'll have kids who tell me they only drink beer and think that that's a safer thing to do.
"By no means is that the case."
In the fall semester, Culton has lectured over 1,200 students during his 40-plus lectures. One of the hallmarks of Culton's lectures is the danger of binge drinking, which is a big problem at SIU and all college campuses.
"When students do binge drink, it disrupts their life in some way," Culton said.
Binge drinkers are people who typically don't drink often. When people binge drink, they are usually consuming alcohol to celebrate the end of a hectic, busy week. This weekend is typically a week were people are in those situations where they feel they should celebrate by drinking copiously.
"A component of binge drinking that could be lethal is alcohol poisoning," Culton said. "It's actually overdosing on alcohol. Usually, if a student is going to o.d. on something it will be on alcohol."
The level of risk in drinking begins to rise exponentially after .15 BAC, when a person becomes in danger of blacking out. With a BAC level of .35, a person is at the level of anesthesia given during surgery. At .40 a person is probably in a coma and has a greatened chance dying.
"It is hard to notice a person in that kind of trauma, because they look like they are apparently sleeping," Culton said.
As for drinking and driving, Culton offers a simple suggestion to alleviate any doubts.
"Just to be safe, if you have one drink, then don't drive," he said.
Zack Creglow can be reached at: zcreglow@dailyegyptian.com
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Last update: Wednesday, December 3, 2003 at 9:42:10 PM
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