The sun, the surf and binge drinking, lots of binge drinking - it's how many students envision Spring Break.
The spring vacation is a time when many students plan to have fun, be daring and act crazy. But unfortunately for some, the fun leads to tragic consequences.
Alcohol-related injuries and deaths among college students always increase between March and mid-April, the time when many students are on break, said Christopher Holstege, University director of medical toxicology .
"Spring Break is a time when young people experience trauma associated with drinking, such as drowning, falling off balconies and driving accidents," Holstege added.
He said he sees the most alcohol poisoning cases during Greek rush and big sporting events such as the fourth-year fifth.
For a fourth-year fifth, fourth-year University students attempt to drink a fifth of a gallon of 80-proof liquor during the season's final home football game.
Not all students party to get drunk, however. Last year's Health Behavior Survey by the psychiatric medicine department reported 77 percent of University students consume five or fewer drinks on weekend nights.
Most substance abuse experts define a "drink" as 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine or a shot of 80-proof liquor.
Many substance abuse experts say binge drinking has become one of the most popular forms of recreation for college students.
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Binge drinking is defined as five drinks for a man and four drinks for a woman, said Rick Heisterman, a licensed social worker for University Counseling and Psychological Services.
Binge drinkers consume this amount of alcohol within a short period of time with the intention of becoming intoxicated, Heisterman added.
Virginia law considers individuals with a blood alcohol content of at least 0.08 percent to be legally intoxicated and to have impaired judgment.
"At the legal level of intoxication, body mechanics such as speech are affected," Heisterman said.
At this point, you can't tell you're drunk and you're more likely to create dangerous situations, he added.
Heisterman sees about 200 University students each year who need counseling for their alcohol use.
Of those students, 5 percent have visited the emergency room for alcohol poisoning, he added.
People become drunk as alcohol continues to enter their bloodstream from the gut. "Sobering up" occurs as the liver converts the alcohol into a harmless compound.
The human body can metabolize only one drink per hour, however, and drinking too much exceeds the liver's ability to process alcohol.
People experience a "hangover" effect when their overworked liver makes side products that remain long after drinking ends.
Consuming eight to 10 drinks in a short amount of time may lead to acute alcohol intoxication and a visit to the emergency room.
"Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and everyone's level of tolerance is different," Holstege said.
Individuals need immediate medical attention if they are unconscious and do not respond to shaking or pinching, he added.
There are several other signs of alcohol poisoning.
- The person has slow respiration of eight or fewer breaths per minute or lapses between breaths of more than eight seconds.
- The skin is cold, clammy, pale or bluish in color.
- The person vomits while passed out and does not wake up after vomiting.
The blood alcohol content of a person who has fallen asleep or passed out can continue to rise even after the person stops drinking.
In some cases alcohol continues to build up in the body and begins to shut down vital organs such as the brain.
If not immediately treated, this stage of intoxication may lead to death.
According to Glass, binge drinking also can affect severely students' academic performance. One in six college students develops an alcohol abuse problem that may have devastating effects, she added.
As students choose what and how much to drink, they should remember that each individual body is diverse and will have varied reactions to different amounts of alcohol.
"Everybody needs to learn what their own level is and be willing to accept feedback about their behavior," Heisterman said.
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