If You Choose to Drink, be S.M.A.R.T!
Set and Know Your Limits
- Pace yourself throughout the night.
- It takes your liver about 1 hour to process each alcoholic drink, depending on your size, food consumed and other factors.
- Alternate drinks with water, because alcohol dehydrates you.
- Avoid drinking games. Drinking games encourage you to drink more in a shorter period of time.
- Carbonated beverages can increase your absorption into your blood stream.
- Energy drinks and alcohol can be very dangerous because one is a depressant and one is a stimulant.
- Alternating different types of alcohol will raise and lower the sugar in your bloodstream which can just make you sick.
- Blood Alcohol Concentration (B.A.C.) is calculated using standard drink measurements.
Standard drink measurements are:
- Beer = 12 oz.
- Malt Liquor = 8-9 oz.
- Wine = 5 oz.
- 80 proof Liquor = 1.5 oz.
- How does your B.A.C. affect your body?
- 0.04-0.06: Lower inhibitions.
- 0.07-0.09: Impairment of balance, speech, vision and reaction time.
- 0.13-0.15: Lack of physical control.
- 0.20: Feeling dazed, confused or disoriented.
- 0.30: Little comprehension of where you are.
- 0.40 & up: Onset of coma and possible death due to respiratory arrest.
Make a Plan Before
- Go and stay with friends you know.
- Always eat a full meal before you drink.
- Tell someone when you are going to return home.
- Always have a sober buddy in your group.
Appoint a Sober Driver
- If you have been drinking, DO NOT drive.
- Even when you feel like alcohol is not affecting you, you still have B.A.C. and therefore it is illegal and unsafe for you to drive.
- A sober driver is not the least drunk person; a sober driver is the person who has not drank at all!
- There is no way to sober up quickly. Time is the only thing that will sober an individual.
Responsible Means Over 21
- There is nothing responsible about breaking the law. If you are under 21 you should not be drinking.
- There are many things you can do at OSU and in Stillwater for fun that do not include drinking.
- People have different reasons for not drinking, and others should respect that decision.
Think Before You Drink
- Always make your own drinks.
- Don’t drink from a punch bowl.
- Watch your drink at all times.
- Keep your body hydrated. Alcohol dehydrates you. By drinking a glass of water for every alcohol drink you consume, you will keep your body hydrated.
Signs of Alcohol Poisoning
- Does not respond to being shouted at or poked
- Can’t stand alone
- Can’t wake the person up
- Slow breathing (less than 6 breaths per minute)
- Cool, purplish or flushed skin
- Irregular or slow pulse (less than 40 beats per minute)
- Vomits while passed out
If anyone has these signs of alcohol poisoning, CALL 911 FOR HELP!
- Alcohol lowers your inhibitions. If someone has been consuming alcohol know that they CANNOT give effective consent to any sexual contact.
- Alcohol affects your emotions. Don’t drink if you are hungry, angry, lonely or tired
- Think about the consequences of drinking!