It’s a typical Thursday night and you and your friends are getting ready for a night out. While at the pre-game you take a few shots, and then later at the bar a few more. No big deal, you do this all the time. It’s college right? But what happens after college when you find yourself in the same old routine? Exactly one-third of University of Mississippi students that reported consuming alcohol in the last two weeks also reported “binge drinking” (five or more drinks in a row by men, and four or more for women) at least once in those two weeks, according to National College Health Assessment data sampled from both undergraduate and graduate students between the years of 2007 and 2009.
In programs such as AlcoholEdu, incoming freshman learn about the short-term dangers of dangerous drinking such as headaches and hangovers. They learn about the fact that alcohol impairs your judgment, and you could end up putting yourself in a harmful situation while intoxicated. There are also many long-term effects that students don’t always consider while drinking.
“Anyone that falls in the group of irresponsible drinking can suffer long term effects like cirrhosis of the liver. When you’re liver isn’t functioning properly that could mean death,” Ellen Schafer, assistant director of health promotion, said. For some people, alcohol replaces food, so malnutrition becomes a problem because you’re living on the liquid diet. There is also the problem with being overweight or obese due to the fact that the drinker has taken in more calories than their body needs.
Besides the health risks, there are many other factors alcohol abuse can affect.
“We teach students no to drink or drive because of the long term effects. You may get sued, hurt yourself or someone else, and affect your job opportunities in the future,” Michael Harmon, university capt. of field operations, said. “Was the person hurt? Were they mangled up to where they can’t do physical jobs? Are they in wheel chair where they have to do some type of office work, or will they not be able to do things with their hands or feet?”
“Academic failure, not getting your work done on time, and being the 6th year senior has an effect on our students,” Schafer said. Alcoholism could mean loosing your job because you’re not performing at the level expected of you.
At the University of Mississippi, 94 DUI violators were assigned to the Judicial Drug and Alcohol Education program at the office of health promotion during the 2010 spring semester. These students either began the program during the fall and ended with the spring semester, or began with the spring semester and finished this summer.
If you realize you are struggling with alcoholism, there are steps that can be taken to prevent these long-term effects. Treatment is available at the University Counseling Center for those who need help. Amy Fisher, substance abuse services coordinator, said they offer individual counseling and other groups such as AA that meet on campus.
“We have everything from an early intervention program where the students have gotten into trouble because of alcoholism and realized their drinking is out of hand, to a recovery/support community where support is provided for students who have gone to treatment and are in recovery from addiction,” Fisher said.
Amy Fisher
substance abuse services coordinator
915-3784
Michael Harmon
captain of field operations
915-7234
Ellen Schafer
assistant director of health promotion
915-3459
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