Binge Drinking
Binge drinking is the leading cause of preventable death among undergraduate college students. The definition of binge drinking is "having five or more drinks at a time or drinking to intoxication".
Binge drinking involves:
- Drinking to "get drunk"
- Regularly drinking large quantities of alcohol
- Drinking alcohol quickly
- Drinking large quantities of alcohol in a short amount of time
The most serious threat with binge drinking is alcohol poisoning. Alcohol Poisoning
is a severe and potentially fatal reaction to an alcohol overdose. When excessive
amounts of alcohol are consumed, the brain is deprived of oxygen and functions that
regulate breathing and heart rate may shut down. In addition to alcohol poisoning,
binge drinking can result in vomiting, loss of sensory perception, and black outs.
When a person is known to have consumed large quantities of alcohol in a short period of time and the person:
- Is unconscious and cannot be woken.
- Has cold, clammy unusually pale or bluish skin.
- Is breathing slowly or irregularly - usually this means less than 8 times a minute or 10 seconds or more between any two breaths.
- Vomits while passed out and does not wake up during or after
They are very likely suffering from alcohol poisoning
If you think someone is suffering from alcohol poisoning don't worry about what the
person will think when they sober up, do something right away!
Call Campus Safety X5566
If you are on campus call campus safety and use a land line instead of a cell phone
if you can. This allows campus safety to immediately identify your location and help
will arrive faster.
If you are off campus, call 911!
While waiting for emergency personnel, gently turn the intoxicated person on their
side and maintain that position by placing a pillow in the small of the person's back.
This is important to prevent aspiration (choking) should the person vomit. Stay with
the person until medical help arrives.
If you or someone you know is a binge drinker you can contact:
Counseling Center -580-5555
Student Health Services -580-5550
Health Promotions -580-5684
All three offices are located on the first floor of Jonsson Tower