Show Alcohol Awareness Week educates college students student's Zane Kelly Contributing Writer Every 30 minutes one person is killed in an alcohol related crash Are you or someone you know risking risking risking risk risk- ing your life or someone else's because of alcohol use Approximately 32 percent of the people killed in related alcohol-related crashes were passengers non drivers or non-intoxicated non occupants non-occupants according to to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Last week Health and Wellness Services participated in the National Alcohol Awareness Week To help show students how badly they are impaired when being under the influence of alcohol As part of the awareness students were given an opportunity to wear goggles that simulated multiple levels levels levels lev lev- els of vision impairment they would have after drinking a certain amount of alcohol Wearing these goggles students attempted to walk a straight line of less than ten feet and then tried to catch a small ball When the students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents removed the goggles some of them found they had strayed quite far from the line and some ended up facing a different direction People dont don't know how bad drinking makes it so we get them at the right time so they can realize what it really does said Decker one of the Health and Wellness Services members Students can have a hard time when using the goggles for the legal limit about four to five drinks If you follow the rules of one foot in front of the other then every- every Alcohol Cont Cant on Page 5 Alcohol Cont Cant from front frontone one staggers People feel that they are on the right track until they take the goggles goggles goggles gog gog- off and step back into reality Decker said Health and Wellness Services has a nationwide affiliation to the Bacchus Gamma group Planning for the upcoming upcoming upcoming ing year Health and Wellness Services will use particular parts of the nationwide nationwide nationwide nation nation- wide calendar that are beneficial for campuses does not have student housing and makes it difficult to get numbers on how much drinking the colleges college's students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents do Drinking is not necessarily a major concern at the college but when drinking is s the result of stress or mental mental- l aes W ll dill M l hi ii-It db ib I t M t j t iii i. i cern cem We have to get to the root of the drinking problem and go backwards said Tricia Bishop Program Coordinator for Health and Wellness Services Statistics show we are near the top of prescription drug abuse suicide suicide suicide sui sui- sui- sui cide antidepressants Bishop said by taking data it shows a need to focus on stress and emotional health to root out the alcohol abuse The focus of the week is to make students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents aware of the effects of drinking and promote them to be responsible Of course abstinence is the number one way to eliminate what can happen when it comes to accidents Bishop said She also discussed that the week spotlighted spotlighted spotlighted spot spot- lighted the subject of identifying healthy responsible drinking Health and Wellness Services also provides a helpful drinking evaluation entitled E-Chug E online at This evaluation gets to the heart of ts ail are Bish lo 0 7 I j JI said alQ It in m your Lace lace to 0 see 1 ii it f you use it responsibly E-Chug E uses a lot of data to tell students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents how alcohol could affect them and even gives a comparison to use the information Information such as drink drink- ing five beers is the equivalent to eating 15 cheeseburgers for most people Health and Wellness Services is very optimistic that programs like these do benefit students and the community They are pleased to help students develop develop develop devel devel- op or increase awareness of potential problems People are getting smarter about this stuff and if were we're saving one person from getting behind the wheel maybe were we're saving lives Decker said Bishop said that the message for the week is not to refrain from drinking but it is to be responsible and have moderation moderation moderation modera modera- tion and banding together and making healthy responsible choices Health and Wellness Services provides provides provides pro pro- vides much more than help with alcohol abuse and they offer an open door to any student who needs help b Piston on Lindhardt dh rat pi s t Of Healin H and Wellness Services c s said If you see an issue with yourself or a friend come and see us for some coun coun- |