Who was Sam Spady?In high school, Sam Spady was captain of the cheerleading squad, class president, an honor student, and homecoming queen. Her parents, Patty and Rick, expected their daughter would continue down her road of success when she left for Colorado State University. Sam's life was cut tragically short during her sophomore year, when she was 19 years old. She was found dead in a fraternity house on Labor Day weekend 2004 after a night of binge drinking.

http://www.samspadyfoundation.org/samstory.html

Binge Drinking 101

9.ATOD.2.2Use strategies for avoiding binge drinking.

Objectives

•Define binge drinking•Explore who engages in binge drinking•Discuss risks associated with binge

drinking•Review what to do for alcohol poisoning•Create strategies to avoid binge drinking

What is binge drinking?•The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse

and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 or above.

•This typically happens when males consume 5 or more drinks, and when females consume 4 or more drinks, in about 2 hours.

What is a drink?

•One 12-ounce beer•One 4- to 5-ounce glass of

wine•One 1.5-ounce shot of 80-

proof liquor

All equal one drink.

Who binge drinks?•Binge drinking often begins around age

13, tends to increase during adolescence, peak in young adulthood (ages 18-22), then gradually decrease.

•What are the risks?•People who binge drink are at much great

risk for many problems…

What is the problem?•Injury:  599,000 students between the

ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol.

•Assault:  696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking.

What is the problem?•Sexual Abuse:  97,000 students

between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape.

•Unsafe Sex: 400,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 had unprotected sex and more than 100,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex .

What is the problem?• Academic Problems: About 25 percent of college

students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall.

• Health Problems/Suicide Attempts: More than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem and between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use.

• Drunk Driving: 3,360,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 drive under the influence of alcohol.

What is the problem?• Vandalism: About 11 percent of college student

drinkers report that they have damaged property while under the influence of alcohol.

• Property Damage: More than 25 percent of administrators from schools with relatively low drinking levels and over 50 percent from schools with high drinking levels say their campuses have a "moderate" or "major" problem with alcohol-related property damage.

• Police Involvement: About 5 percent of 4-year college students are involved with the police or campus security as a result of their drinking, and  110,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are arrested for an alcohol-related violation such as public drunkenness or driving under the influence.

What is the problem?•Alcohol Abuse and Dependence: 31

percent of college students met criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse and 6 percent for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence in the past 12 months, according to questionnaire-based self-reports about their drinking.

•Death:  1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes.

And…

Did You know?

•Underage drinking can make you act and look stupid. Alcohol can make you feel more social and daring, but it actually is a depressant that slows down parts of your brain. That’s why people who have been drinking behave in ways they never would while sober. •Underage drinking makes you accident prone. Alcohol interferes with your vision, coordination, and concentration by acting as a sedative on your central nervous system. Nearly 190,000 12-to 20-year-olds wind up in an emergency room each year for alcohol-related problems. (The majority of those who do are male.)                                            

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Prevention

Did You Know? Continued

•Underage drinking can harm your brain. The human brain is not fully developed until the mid-20s. Drinking alcohol, as with other drugs, can interfere with brain development. •Underage drinking kills. Every year, about 5,000 young people under age 21 die as a result of injuries caused by alcohol use. •Underage drinking may cause depression or make it worse. Young people who feel depressed are more likely to drink alcohol, but alcohol is not a cure for depression. If you are depressed, ask an adult for help.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Prevention

Alcohol Poisoning: Critical Signs

•Mental confusion, stupor, coma, or person cannot be wakened

•Vomiting•Seizures•Slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths

per minute)•Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more

between breaths)•Hypothermia (low body temperature),

bluish skin color, paleness

Alcohol Poisoning: What Should I Do?•If there is any suspicion of an alcohol

overdose, call 911 for help. Don't try to guess the level of drunkenness.

•Know the danger signals.•Do not wait for all symptoms to be present.•Be aware that a person who has passed out

may die.•Put in recovery position.

Alcohol Poisoning: What Can Happen?•Victim chokes on his or her own vomit•Breathing slows, becomes irregular, or

stops•Heart beats irregularly or stops.•Hypothermia (low body temperature)•Hypoglycemia (too little blood sugar) leads

to seizures•Untreated severe dehydration from

vomiting can cause seizures, permanent brain damage, or death

Think, Pair, ShareWrite down:• 3 short-term goals (within the next few months, up to six

months).• 3 long-term goals (up to five years).• Your parents or caregivers’ expectations about alcohol use.• 5-7 reasons underage drinking and binge drinking could be

harmful.Now…• What are some potential impacts on your goals with underage

and binge drinking?• What are some potential impacts on your relationship with

parents or other loved ones with alcohol use?Finally…• What skills do you possess to choose not to engage in underage

drinking or binge drinking? (Consider: analyze influences, access information, communication abilities, positive decision making, and advocacy)

Questions?