Though we may not like it, drinking alcohol is a reality on college campuses. Another reality is that misunderstanding the body’s limits, as well as peer pressure can result in irresponsible decisions when it comes to drinking. So how can you help protect your child, even if you are hundreds of miles away? Before you send your children off to college, make sure they understand the consequences of excessive drinking and how to recognize when someone is in danger.

The statistics are frightening. Each year, 1,700 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes,¹ and nearly 30,000 college students are treated for alcohol overdose².

How does this happen? In 2001, the College Alcohol Study from the Harvard School of Public Health found that 44 percent of college students classified themselves as "binge drinkers" (binge drinking at least once in the last two weeks)³. "Binge drinking" is defined as five or more drinks per sitting for males and four or more drinks per sitting for females, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration⁴. (However, it should be noted that these terms are general and do not factor in the size of the drink, body weight of the drinker, and length of time of the drinking experience. The assumption is that drinking occurs within a short period of time -- a few hours or less -- and leads to alcohol intoxication⁵.)

A severe and potentially fatal physical reaction to an alcohol overdose is alcohol poisoning. When a person drinks excessive amounts of alcohol within a short period of time -- as can happen with binge drinking -- the brain is deprived of oxygen. In response to the overdose of alcohol and the lack of oxygen, the brain eventually shuts down the functions that regulate heart rate and breathing⁶.

Every college student should know the critical signs of alcohol poisoning. (It is important to note that not all signs will be present in all cases.) The intoxicated person may experience extreme confusion, be unconscious, or unable to be roused. Other key indicators include skin that is cold, clammy, unusually pale or bluish. The person may have seizures. Breathing may be slow or irregular -- less than eight times a minute -- or ten seconds or more between any two breaths. Another sign is vomiting, or not waking up during or after vomiting⁷.

If any of these symptoms occur, call 911 immediately. Concerned friends should not wait for all the symptoms to be present⁸. Remind your child that he or she should not let fear about getting into trouble stop him or her from calling for professional help, as this could truly be a matter of life and death. Never leave the intoxicated person alone and be sure to turn the person on his or her side to help prevent choking if vomiting should occur⁹. Make sure someone in the room knows CPR (if no one does, find someone immediately, like a resident advisor or health aide) and be prepared to administer CPR if the person stops breathing¹⁰.

Students should know it is dangerous to assume the intoxicated person will be fine by sleeping it off. Even while passed out, a person's blood alcohol concentration can continue to rise. And, after a person stops drinking, alcohol in the stomach and intestine continues to enter the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body¹¹.

It is also imperative for everyone to know that alcohol affects women differently than men. Women can expect substantially more alcohol-caused impairment than men at equivalent levels of consumption since, on the average, they are smaller and equivalent doses of alcohol produce higher levels of concentration in women’s bodies. But comparative size is not the only reason women react differently to alcohol. Other factors that put women more at risk for intoxication include percentages of body fat, their bodies’ amount of metabolizing enzymes, and fluctuating hormone levels¹².

Even though your child may be far from home, you can still help protect him or her from the dangerous consequences of drinking. Share this potentially life-saving information with all of your children (middle and high school students, too) and share your own values on the topic. In addition, do some research about your child’s college. Get the facts about the school’s alcohol policies and make sure your child is aware of the security and emergency services available to students if they or a friend gets into trouble with alcohol¹³. References:

1. Hingson, R. et al. Magnitude of Alcohol-Related Mortality and Morbidity Among U.S. College Students Ages 18-24: Changes from 1998 to 2001. Annual Review of Public Health, vol. 26, 259-79; 2005.

2. American College of Emergency Physicians.

3. Hazelden Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Centers -- www.hazelden.org

4, 5, 6. "What Every Parent Should Know About College Binge Drinking" by Amy Scholten, MPH on www.thirdage.com

7. College Drinking - Changing the Culture web site --www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov

8. www.about.com

9, 10. "What Every Parent Should Know About College Binge Drinking" by Amy Scholten, MPH on www.thirdage.com

11. College Drinking - Changing the Culture web site --www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov

12. B.R.A.D. -- Be Responsible About Drinking, Inc. web site -- www.brad21.org

13. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence web site -- www.ncadd.org

College Drinking - Changing the Culture

B.R.A.D. -- Be Responsible About Drinking, Inc.

Hazelden Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Centers