Beyond Your Hangover: Alcohol Risks You Might Not Know About

“I’m NEVER drinking again!”
 
You’ve all heard it before, and most of you have probably said it yourselves after a night of too much Jose Cuervo. The next morning, while holding your pounding head in your hands and attempting to keep down a ginger ale and bagel, you wonder why you ever thought that shot number six was a good idea. You will “never drink again.”
 
And yet, despite your adamant pledge to sobriety, you know that next weekend you’ll be at it again, bar hopping down Main Street or playing another round of flip cup at your favorite fraternity. Your hangover will be a thing of the past and you’ll be “ready to rage!!” But what about the alcohol-induced illnesses that don’tgo away after a day spent in front of the TV? What about the future ramifications of binge drinking? If your hangovers aren’t bad enough to make you put down your second Long Island Iced Tea just yet, here are a few good reasons to seriously consider drinking in moderation.

Alcohol Poisoning
College culture seems to be almost synonymous with binge drinking (which, in case you were wondering, is defined as“consuming 5 or more drinks on one occasion”), and there is a certain invincibility that seems to accompany that binge drinking mindset.
 
According to Dr. Don Stechschulte, the head medical care professional at Bucknell University’s health center, this perceived invincibilityis a common trait found in all college students. “After working at Bucknell for twenty years and seeing the same problems over and over, I found myself wondering why such smart kids would do such stupid things,” he says. “At the root of what we’re dealing with is the adolescent brain. College students think they areindestructible, immortal, infertile and infallible.”

And although it’s hard to remember that things can go wrong, a night of fun and games can turn serious all too quickly when a friend or someone you’re with gets sick from the alcohol they’ve ingested. Alcohol poisoning occurs when an individual drinks a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time, and can affect breathing, heart rate and gag reflex. It can potentially lead to coma or death.
 
Signs of alcohol poisoning include vomiting, slow or irregular breathing, hypothermia, loss of consciousness or seizures.
 
Quick Tips: Alternate water with your alcoholic drinks and keep track of how much alcohol you are consuming, making sure you don’t have more than one or two alcoholic drinks in an hour.