The Counseling Center will host a workshop on the dangers of binge drinking at 11 a.m. Nov. 4 in the RUC Tech Pride Room. “The workshop will cover binge drinking,” Patricia Smith, counseling center director, said, “but it will be more about alcohol and alcohol poisoning.”
Some topics set for discussion include symptoms of alcohol poisoning, how to calculate blood alcohol concentration, and what to do if a friend passes out after consuming alcohol.
“One sign of alcohol poisoning,” Smith points out, “is if your friend is taking eight breaths or less per minute, that friend needs medical help.”
Smith will also present a “friendship pact” at the workshop and ask students to sign it. The pact involves stipulations about alcohol responsibility.
“The pact means that when we are going out, we are going to watch out for each other,” Smith said.
The friendship pact also contains conditions for friends to call for help if any symptom of alcohol poisoning exists and to not be angry if a friend seeks help for the pact signer if they are in danger.
“If you’re a good friend,” Smith said, “you are going to watch out for your friends and not be afraid to call for help.”
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s BAC to 0.08 percent or above.
A man can typically reach this BAC by consuming five or more drinks in two hours, and a woman can reach this by consuming four or more in a two hour period.
Smith will define what constitutes a single drink at the workshop.
“Yes, people do drink,” Smith said. “If you do decide to drink, be responsible. Obey the laws, know what your body can handle, and don’t drive.
