Transcript Make Good Decisons

Make
Good
Decisions
A Personal and Alcohol
Safety Program Designed
by UWM Students for
UWM Students
Overview






Personal/Peer Safety
Safe Drinking Practices
Alcohol Poisoning
Know Your Neighbors
Peer Pressure
Resources
Personal/Peer Safety

Don’t be a victim
• Your personal safety is up to you!
• Keep your wits about you
• Know your surroundings
• Know who you’re with
• A Panther alone is prey


Avoid walking alone, esp. at night
Use friends, BOSS or Safewalkers
UWM Police Tips for
Personal Safety


See handout for list of personal
safety tips
For additional safety information and
tips:
www4.uwm.edu/safety/
Hypothetical Situation


You’re at a party at a friend off a
friendsWhich of the following would you feel
comfortable leaving at the party?
• Cell phone?
• Wallet or purse?
Hypothetical Situation

Would you leave your best friend
there alone?
Take Care of a Fellow Panther


Stay in packs, don’t leave a fellow
Panther behind
Keep a porch or alley light on
• Help keep another Panther safe
• Protect your property

Volunteer to be a Neighborhood
Watch member
General Safety Statistics




1 out of 6 college women have been
raped or have been the victim of an
attempted rape during the past year
7 out of 10 rape or sexual assault
victims knew their attacker
The most vulnerable population for
campus rape are freshmen women
during the first few months of school
Robberies and muggings are up
Alcohol Stats
Each Year



Almost 600,000 college students are
unintentionally injured under the
influence of alcohol
1,700 college students die from
alcohol-related unintentional injuries
More than 97,000 college students
are victims of alcohol-related sexual
assault or date rape
Alcohol Statistics
Each Year



Each year almost 700,000 college
students are physically assaulted by
another student who has been
drinking
More than 100,000 college students
reported they were too intoxicated to
know if they consented to having sex
2,100,000 college students reported
driving under the influence in the last
year
UWM Alcohol Data
(UW System AOD Survey 2007)
Alcohol use in the past 30 days:
• Students significantly overestimate the
frequency of AOD use by peers
• 19% did not use alcohol
• 40% drank 1-5x in the past month
• Only 39% report currently drinking
more than the year before they started
college (28% report drinking less)
UWM Alcohol Data (cont.)
(UW System AOD Survey 2007)

Average number of drinks per week
• UWM average- 7.4 drinks/week


Males averaged 10.0 drinks
Females averaged 5.1 drinks
UWM Alcohol Data (cont.)
• However, 13% drinking >= half the days
• 55% “binge drink” (5 or more
drinks/occasion)

15% once; 15% 2x; 25% 3 or more times in
past 2 weeks
• “Typical drinking occasion”

Average of 6.33 drinks (m=7.75; f=4.99)
• Average BAC=.103 (m=.100; f=.105)


55% at or above BAC of 0.08
12% at or above BAC of 0.20
UWM Alcohol Data (cont.)

Problems due to OWN drinking
• 24% performed poorly on a test, important
project
• 14% in trouble with college authorities
• 15% thought they might have a drinking or
other drug problem;
• 8% unsuccessful with attempts to stop using
• 42% had blackouts
• 42% did something they later regretted
• 20% had been hurt or injured
• 26% had unprotected sex
• 11% had experienced unwanted sexual contact
• 5% seriously thought about suicide due to
drinking
UWM Alcohol Data (cont.)

Problems due to OTHERS’ drinking
• 31% had studying interrupted
• 26% had personal property or environment
damaged
• 18% had class attendance or class activities
interfered with
• 14% rode with an intoxicated driver
• 17% were made to feel unsafe
• 13% were prevented from enjoying events
• 10% were interfered with in other ways
(“sleep” was top write in answer)
Safe Drinking Practices



Practices for those to choose to drink
Respect the right of those who don’t
drink
Whether or not to drink is a personal
choice
Safe Drinking Practices

Don’t drink on an empty stomach
• Why?
• Food in the stomach prevents alcohol
going into the small intestine


In the small intestine it is very efficiently
absorbed, more so than in the stomach
In the stomach, an enzyme ADH (alcohol
dehydrogenase) metabolizes alcohol to
some degree before it can be absorbed
Safe Drinking Practices

Don’t take drinks from strangers
• You don’t know what’s in it (date rape
drug?)

Don’t let your drink out of your sight
• Same reason
Safe Drinking Practices

Know your personal limits—3 Steps
• Calculate your personal BAC (blood
alcohol concentration)
• Experiment to know your personal safe
drinking limit
• Know about the biphasic effects of
alcohol
Safe Drinking Practices

Biphasic Effects of Alcohol
• In low doses, alcohol can have
STIMULATING effects resulting in a
positive experience
• In higher doses, its effects are
DEPRESSANT and sedating, more
negative in nature
• “More is better” doesn’t apply with
drinking for most people
Biphasic Effects of Alcohol
Point of Diminishing Returns
BAC =.055-.06
Cultural Myth
About Alcohol
After Tolerance Develops
Identify One’s “Ideal BAC”

Establish a starting point for
experimentation
• Research suggests BAC between .055.06 for those of average tolerances and
no other modifying factors
• See also BAC and associated behaviors
handout and at:
makegooddecisions.uwm.edu
• Pick a target BAC and calculate the
number of drinks for your sex, weight
and # of hours drinking to reach that
BAC
Identify One’s “Ideal BAC” (cont)

Experiment by drinking to this level
• Those with high tolerances may need 3
weeks or so for tolerances to decrease
to experience the possible effects at
these BACs
Drink for Quality


Many have not really tested the myth
of “more is better”
When students experiment, many
quickly find that quality of
experience is very different than
quantity of alcohol
Be Aware of Alcohol
Expectancies

What are they?
• What students expect to happen when
they drink

What they expect to happen can
happen when no alcohol is consumed
(placebo effect)
Be Aware of Alcohol
Expectancies


What expectancy effects have been found:
When students thought they were
drinking:
•
•
•
•
Less social inhibition
Men felt less socially anxious
Men also felt more sexual arousal
Many women actually reported feeling LESS
relaxed and felt more social anxiety
Alcohol Effects Can Vary

When setting one’s BAC and planning
drinking, be aware that the same
amount of alcohol can have different
effects at different times depending
on:
• Fatigue level
• Pre-drinking mood
• Use of medications
• Food in stomach before and during
drinking
• Expectations for alcohol’s effects
After setting a limit, stick to it

Clearly set your limit BEFORE drinking
• A limit set after is likely to be higher, or not
set at all



Count Your Drinks
Be aware of how quickly your are drinking
them
Be ready to stand your ground if
pressured to drink more
• Anticipate pressure and how you’ll respond
• Develop your best ways of how to say “No”
Drink Sizes
…But I Only Had One!!!
…But I Only Had One
What’s ONE Drink

One standard drink sizes:
• 12 oz of most domestic beers
• 10 oz of many microbrew beers, wine
coolers or malt liquor
• 5 oz of most table wines
• 1.5 oz (about 1 shot) of many hard
liquors
• 1.25 oz of 100 proof liquor
• Approx 0.5 oz of Everclear
Avoid Drinks of Unknown
Potency


Punches can be especially deceiving
as high amounts of alcohol are not
often noticed
Punch and strongly made mixed
drinks are popular date rape drinks
Avoid Drinking Shots

It can lead to:
• Drinking beyond limit before one knows
it
• Rapid drinking
• Before the first shot is felt, there can be
significant amounts of alcohol in the
stomach
• Not very filling
Avoid Drinking Games





Very easy to lose count/not pay
attention to how much one’s
consuming
Often harder to “say when” with
peers due to pressure
Once one starts losing, more likely to
lose more, esp. in games of
skill/coordination
Can be used as date rape games
Too easy to too quickly lose control
in too many ways
Alternate Beverages

Alternate non-alcohol and alcoholic
beverages
• Especially when drinking over an
extended period of time

One drink per hour will actually lead
to gradually increasing BACs over
time for most drinkers
Don’t Drink and Drive



Accidents due to alcohol use are the
leading cause of death for college
aged persons
Legal sanctions for DUI are high
Any BAC for students under 21 are
grounds for legal sanctions
Additional Tips

Additional tips on “How to Cut Down
Your Drinking” see Handout or
http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/handout.h
tm
Gender Differences in
Response to Alcohol
Gender Differences in Response
to Alcohol



Following gender differences in BACs
and alcohol effects based upon
research
Differences are GROUP differences
that are statistically significant
There are numerous individual
exceptions of both genders to these
findings
Gender Differences

Even when weight is held constant,
women will become more intoxicated
on the same amount of alcohol
• Men have more ADH in their stomachs
(metabolizes alcohol before its
absorbed)
• In general, men have greater
percentage of muscle, blood and water
content (diluting alcohol and lowering
BAC)
Gender Differences (cont)
- A 120 lb. woman drinking four 12-oz regular
beers over a 2-hour period (BAC approx. .112)
- A 120 lb. man drinking four 12-oz regular beers
over a 2-hour period. (BAC approx. .088)
- A 180 lb. man drinking four 12-oz regular beers
over 2-hour period. (BAC approx. .044)
- A180 lb. man drinking seven 12-oz regular beers
over a 4-hour period. (BAC approx. .072)
- A 120 lb. woman drinking seven 12-oz regular
beers over a 4-hour period. (BAC approx. .191)
Gender Differences (cont)


Gender differences in alcohol's effects:
Sex differences re sexual intent and
perception of signals under alcohol’s
influence
• Men tend to misperceive women as having
more sexual interest in them (over sexualize
signals) as men also become more sexually
aroused
• Women tend to miss signals of sexual interest
in them by men (under sexualize signals)
Gender Differences (cont)



Gender differences in alcohol's
effects on perception of sexual
signals
How often does this lead to mixed
signals and conflict?
Is this a contributing factor to sexual
assault?
Alcohol Poisoning



What is it?
Excessive alcohol intake that
depresses breathing or the gag reflex
to the point that one risks cessation
of breathing or choking on one’s
vomit
BACs can continue to rise after
passing out
Alcohol Poisoning (cont.)


What is a lethal BAC?
50% of persons will die if they reach
0.45; however overdose can happen
at 0.30 or even much lower levels if
medications are also taken
Alcohol Poisoning/Overdose


Some medications combined with
alcohol multiply each others effects,
greatly increasing the risk of
overdose
Especially dangerous is combining
alcohol and prescription pain meds,
other narcotics, “downers”/anxiety
meds, or muscle relaxers
Alcohol Poisoning/Overdose
(cont.)


Increased risk is also associated with
combining alcohol with over the
counter medications such as
cold/allergy meds
http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/public
ations/Medicine/medicine.htm
for a complete list of alcohol/drug
interactions
Alcohol Poisoning (cont.)
What symptoms should I look for?
1) Person is unconscious or semiconscious and cannot be awakened
2) Cold, clammy, pale or bluish skin or
lips
3) Slow breathing: <8 times/min or
irregular with 10 sec or more between
breaths
4) Vomiting while ‘sleeping’ or passed out
or not waking up after vomiting
Alcohol Poisoning (cont.)
What should one do?
1) GET HELP IMMEDIATELY-CALL 911
2) Do not leave the person alone
3) Turn the person on their side to
prevent choking
4) Attempt to assess if the person took
any other drugs to assist medical
personnel if their assessment/
treatment
Safe Party Hosting

Know your neighbors
• Be courteous
• Be respectful
• www.offcampuswwu.com/neighbor.html


Inform neighbors of an upcoming
party and exchange phone numbers
Party hosting tips at:
• www.aux.uwm.edu/nho/NHO_brochures
/House_Party_Guide.pdf
• www.offcampuswwu.com/4a.html
Attending A Party

See guidelines at:
• www.offcampuswwu.com/4b.html





Prevent Getting a Police Citation
Prevent You or Someone Else from Getting
Dangerously Intoxicated
Prevent You or Someone Else from Getting
Sexually or Physically Assaulted
If You Are Sexually Assaulted
Tips for Leaving Gracefully
Positive Peer Pressure

Good friends don’t let friends…
• This may be critically important when
alcohol or other substance use impairs
judgment and increases impulsive
behavior


Do we intervene if friends are
beginning to do things that could
ruin their lives?
Do we show positive leadership in
the groups of which we are a part?
Negative Peer Pressure


Do we recognize subtle aspects of it?
Are we ready to stand up against it?
• For ourselves
• For others in the groups

Do we know how we can resist it?
• If not, we can learn how to, in a way that fits
for us

Periodically review the groups we are in
• Are they consistent with our values?
• Do they help us achieve our personal goals?
• If not, look for more positive groups
UWM and Other
Resources
E-CHUG
e-CHUG.uwm.edu
E-CHUG
www.e-CHUG.uwm.edu





Gives feedback in the key areas that have
been correlated with later alcoholism for
college-aged students
Other personally relevant drinking info
Designed for college student populations
Research has shown its effectiveness in
reducing harmful drinking
Anonymous/confidential/non-threatening
UWM AODA Resources
• Self-Assessment- e-CHUG.uwm.edu
• Norris Health Center- (AODA & Mental
Health)
Paul Dupont Norris Counseling Unit
229-4716- Individual and group
counslg.
 BASICS (Alcohol) Program•Colleen Bernstein 229-6668
•Laura Stuart 229-2919
• UWM Police Alcohol Diversion
Program
 For first UWM issued underage
drinking ticket 229-4627

Other AODA Resources
Support Groups
• Narcotics Anonymous (NA)

www.wisconsinna.org
• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

www.aamilwaukee.com
• SMART Recovery- Professionally
facilitated groups and online groups

www.smartrecovery.org
• Women for Sobriety

www.womenforsobriety.org
• Onlinewww.rationalrecovery.org
Other Resources



MakeGoodDecisions.uwm.edu: link to
BAC calculator, resource links, alcohol and
other safety information, tips for on how
to help a friend and for safer drinking;
personal stories.
See list of various other community AODA
assessment and treatment options on
handout
http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publicatio
ns/Medicine/medicine.htm Information
about which medications are unsafe when
combined with alcohol
Help Others to Stay Safe, Have Fun
and
This Project is Now in
YOUR Hands!
How Will You Take This
Information Forward?
How Can You Take This Forward?



An educational/training program as a
whole
Part of this content as a minieducational/awareness program
Market some of the concepts (e.g.
safe drinking practices) in
posters/articles/flyers
• One-time or series (e.g. safety “tip of
the month”)
How Can You Take This Forward?




Market makegooddecisions.uwm.edu
website
Informal discussions with other
students
Promo items to foster discussion
Other ideas
Evaluation



We need it for our funding source
We need to know what works and what
doesn’t work
Evaluate your program(s)
• How many attended?
• Post-test evaluations important (in packet)
• Post-tests can be modified to fit the
content/goals of your program

Contact Paul Dupont at 229-2927 or
[email protected]