Binge Drinking and Alcohol Poisoning

Binge Drinking Defined

• Binge Drinker: Male who consumed 5 or more drinks in a row; Female who consumed 4 or more drinks in a row.
• Occasional Binge Drinker: Students who binge 1 or 2 times in a two week period.
• Frequent Binge Drinker: Students who binge 3 or more times in a two week period

Facts About Binge Drinking

• Frequent binge drinkers were 8 times more likely than non-binge drinkers to miss a class, fall behind in schoolwork, get hurt or injured, and damage property.\
• More than 60% of college men and 50% of college women who binge drink report that they drink and drive.
• Binge drinking during college may be associated with mental health disorders such as compulsiveness, depression or anxiety, or early deviant behavior.
• In a national study 91% of women and 78% of men who were frequent binge drinkers considered themselves to be moderate.
• Binge drinking can lead to alcohol poisoning.

Binge Drinking on a College Campus

• According to a 1997 national study nearly half of all college students surveyed drank four or five drinks in one sitting in the previous two weeks.
• 39% of college women compared to 50% of college men binge drank within a two week period.
• Frequent binge drinkers consume 72% of all alcohol that college students drink.
• Each year, college students spend $5.5 billion on alcohol (mostly beer). This is more than they spend on books, soda, coffee, juice and milk combined. On a typical campus the average student will spend $466 annually on alcohol.

Alcohol Poisoning: What can happen?

• Victim can choke on their own vomit
• Breathing slows down or stops
• Heart beats become irregular of stop
• Hypothermia (low body temperature, leads to cardiac arrest)
• Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar, leads to seizures)
• Irreversible brain damage
• Many times the victim because of binge drinking does not realize that he/she has taken a fatal dose until it is too late

Critical Signs of Alcohol Poisoning

• Mental confusion, stupor, coma, or person cannot be roused.
• No response when pinching the skin.
• Vomiting while sleeping.
• Seizures
• Slow breathing (less than eight per minute)
• Irregular breathing (10 seconds of more between breaths)
• Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin color, paleness.

Bystanders' Responsibility

• Know the Danger Signs
• Do not wait for all symptoms to be present.
• Be aware that a person who has passed out may die.
• Don't try to guess the level of drunkenness, call 911 if in doubt.

What to Do if You Suspect Alcohol Poisoning

• Call 911 or the Emergency Medical Number.
• Stay with the victim.
• Keep the victim from choking on vomit.
• Tell emergency medical technicians the symptoms and if you know how much alcohol the victim drank. Prompt action may save the life of a friend, or your own.

Common Myths About Alcohol Poisoning

• Drinking black coffee will help
• Taking a cold shower will help
• Walking it off will hel
• Sleeping it off will help
• These conventional treatments do not help: pumping the stomach, syrup of ipecac to induce vomiting, activated charcoal, narcan (to reverse the effects of central nervous system depressant).