On Wednesday Oct. 23, senior Lily Sakalys and sophomore Morgan Duffy drove a golf cart around campus hosting a “Cash Cab” event. Duffy asked students to answer questions regarding responsible alcohol consumption in exchange for candy while Sakalys drove. The event was sponsored by Counseling & Consultation Services and the Awareness, Wellness, Education RSO.
The event was the first held in five years since its interruption by COVID. It was done alongside a tabling event in the Dugout. Students were invited to try on beer goggles, learn how to pour a responsible drink and help raise awareness regarding responsible drinking.
“I loved the Alcohol Cash Cab.” senior Megan Barrameda said. “As a nursing major who has already learned about the effects of alcohol in my classes, I thought Lily and Morgan provided accurate information about alcohol in a way that was very engaging and accessible to the greater campus community.”
Sakalys said the events were held close to Halloween because many students attend parties and go to bars to celebrate the holiday.
“For first year students, these may be the first parties they go to or the first time they engage in drinking due to peer pressure that the holiday brings,” she said. “This can also be applicable to students who have more recently turned 21 who are navigating bar culture for the first time.”
IWU’s alcohol policies are very restrictive and Sakalys was concerned that it could cause students to find themselves in potentially dangerous situations to avoid getting in trouble. To help combat this issue students were educated in blood alcohol content or how to responsibly pour a drink.
The events were also held because of the possibility of students using substances to cope with the stress of being a student.
“Substance abuse awareness is also important during the changing season because this is the busiest part of the semester for students. They may engage in more substances to try and relieve stress, but alcohol is a depressant that can actually make your mental health worse over time,” Sakalys said.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 49 percent of full-time college students drink alcohol with 28.9 percent of those students engaging in binge-drinking. The most recent statistics from the NIAAA estimate that about 1,519 college students ages 18 to 24 die annually from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes.
Another NIAAA statistic shows that 14 percent of all college students meet the criteria for alcohol use disorder.
“Being educated on these aspects of drinking empowers students to make the choices that are best for them,” Sakalys said.
If you are a student and need help or are looking for resources regarding substance abuse, Counseling and Consultation Services has resources on their website.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an alcohol dependency, you can acquire help from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services National Helpline at (800) 662-HELP (4357).
How Much Is a Drink?
To avoid binge drinking and its consequences, college students (and all people who drink) are advised to track the number of drinks they consume over a given period of time. That is why it is important to know exactly what counts as a drink.
In the United States, a standard drink (or one alcoholic drink-equivalent) is one that contains 0.6 fl oz or 14 grams of pure alcohol (also known as an alcoholic drink-equivalent), which is found in the following:
- 12.0 oz of beer with about 5% alcohol content
- 5.0 oz of wine with about 12% alcohol content
- 1.5 oz of distilled spirits (e.g., gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and whiskey) with about 40% alcohol content
Alcohol Overdose and College Students
Thousands of college students are transported to the emergency room each year for alcohol overdose, which occurs when there is so much alcohol in the bloodstream that areas of the brain controlling basic life-support functions—such as breathing, heart rate, and temperature control—begin to shut down. Signs of this dangerous condition can include the following:
- Mental confusion, stupor
- Difficulty remaining conscious or inability to wake up
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths per minute)
- Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths)
- Slow heart rate
- Clammy skin
- Dulled responses, such as no gag reflex (which prevents choking)
- Extremely low body temperature, bluish skin color, or paleness
Alcohol overdose can lead to permanent brain damage or death, so a person showing any of these signs requires immediate medical attention. Do not wait for the person to have all the symptoms, and be aware that a person who has passed out can die. Call 911 if you suspect alcohol overdose.