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Drinking and responsibility are not common partners
By SALLY WHITE
On television's "Today" show, Wednesday, Oct. 6, there was a segment regarding a college freshman who died over the previous weekend at Colorado State University as the result of a fraternity initiation that involved binge drinking.
To me, the most disturbing part of the whole sad scenario was that his parents (Dad, Mom, Step-Dad and Step-Mom) stated flat out that they had no idea that the simple consumption of too much alcohol could kill a person.
They said they had warned him about "being responsible" when he drank - using a designated driver, etc., but had never considered discussing drinking in and of itself.
This incident comes the week following our receipt of the 2004 Arizona Youth Survey that shows that in March of this year 17.4 percent of all eighth-grade students in Willcox, 25 percent of all 10th-grade students and 32.4 percent of all 12th-grade students participated in binge drinking.
Binge drinking is defined as four or more drinks in less than one hour, continuing for two or more hours. It is important to remember that one out of every four deaths among teenagers is alcohol-related.
Willcox has had some close calls but not lost a youth to alcohol intoxication poisoning recently. But if you check our past history, you will find that in the not-too- distant past that was not the case.
If you are like the parents on the Today Show and feel that "just drinking" is not dangerous for young people, please consider the following facts, then sit down and discuss them with any teenager you know:
The base word in intoxication is toxic - too much alcohol in your bloodstream causes alcohol intoxication poisoning. This in turn can lead to seizures, coma, brain damage, and if not treated in time, death.
How much alcohol your body can handle safely varies widely upon what and when you last ate, how tired or rested you are, your weight, and even your mood. Your liver processes an average of about one drink per hour. It needs time to work.
When a person drinks at a normal rate, his/her body will usually kick in to tell the person "that's enough." When this happens, the drinker generally throws up or passes out - either way the toxic drinking level is controlled. However, when a person binge drinks, the alcohol is coming too fast for the brain to monitor and the person can reach toxic levels before the body's controls start to work.
If you are with someone who is drinking a lot and they start to exhibit unusually cold or blue skin, fall asleep and do not respond, even if they throw up, or have their breathing slows to less than eight breaths per minute, get help immediately - call 911.
The biggest problem with "responsible drinking" is that if you drink too much, you stop being responsible no matter what your intentions were when you started. Remind every youth that you know, "You're unforgettable, not unbreakable."
(Editor's Note: White is the director of Willcox Against Substance Abuse.)
To me, the most disturbing part of the whole sad scenario was that his parents (Dad, Mom, Step-Dad and Step-Mom) stated flat out that they had no idea that the simple consumption of too much alcohol could kill a person.
They said they had warned him about "being responsible" when he drank - using a designated driver, etc., but had never considered discussing drinking in and of itself.
This incident comes the week following our receipt of the 2004 Arizona Youth Survey that shows that in March of this year 17.4 percent of all eighth-grade students in Willcox, 25 percent of all 10th-grade students and 32.4 percent of all 12th-grade students participated in binge drinking.
Binge drinking is defined as four or more drinks in less than one hour, continuing for two or more hours. It is important to remember that one out of every four deaths among teenagers is alcohol-related.
Willcox has had some close calls but not lost a youth to alcohol intoxication poisoning recently. But if you check our past history, you will find that in the not-too- distant past that was not the case.
If you are like the parents on the Today Show and feel that "just drinking" is not dangerous for young people, please consider the following facts, then sit down and discuss them with any teenager you know:
The biggest problem with "responsible drinking" is that if you drink too much, you stop being responsible no matter what your intentions were when you started. Remind every youth that you know, "You're unforgettable, not unbreakable."
(Editor's Note: White is the director of Willcox Against Substance Abuse.)
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