The Minaret (M): What are the signs of alcohol poisoning?
Gina Firth (GF): The first sign you want to look for is if the person is passed out, barely conscious or can’t seem to focus.
The next sign most people miss – vomiting. They think that vomiting is a good sign but it’s not. Heavy vomiting puts people at risk for aspiration, when that vomit gets stuck in your lungs.
You also want to watch their breathing. Slow breathing or 10 breaths or less per minute are bad signs.
And finally if they have bluish skin or if they feel cold and clammy.
M: How could someone prevent alcohol poisoning?
GF: Don’t get drunk! But realistically, no drinking games or shots. Shots hit you quickly. Know what is in your drinks and know the equivalents.
Don’t mix alcohol with other drugs. Also, never drink anything you can’t see made. And watch your drink at all times.
M: If you choose to drink, what can you do to stay in control?
GF: Look at your body size and know your limits. Follow the rules:
- Alternate between drinks with water or a non-alcoholic beverageset limit based on size.
- Consume no more than one to two drinks per hour.
- Assign someone to be the designated sober person.
The first thing that goes is your judgment.
M: Has UT been working on any different alcohol policies?
GF: No, we’ve only clarified titles of sections and stress the Amnesty Policies found in the Student Rights and Responsibilities.
Along with the alcohol article, there are now medical amnesty policies for both sexual assault and drugs.
Just watch out for each other. No one’s going to get in trouble – it won’t go on your or your friend’s permanent record. It just becomes health concern.
M: Aside from the Alcohol EDU program, what is UT doing to prevent alcohol poisoning?
GF: We have regular awareness campaigns that we run all year long. RA’s are trained as first responders and are asked to talk about it in their meetings with their residents.
We also incorporate alcohol awareness presentations in the Gateways program for freshmen.
M: What is the number one thing that gets students more aware of the dangers of alcohol?
GF: Unfortunately one piece is if someone dies because it makes people pay attention.
It’s not that we want a tragedy though, we want a good year! But students need to know that alcohol poisoning is life-threatening.
M: What doesn’t work when trying to get the message across?
GF: It’s hard to measure the impact of alcohol education because we can’t isolate what’s working and what’s not. But what I can say is that I haven’t found anything that doesn’t help.
M: Is it true that most alcohol poisonings occur within the first couple of weeks of the school year?
GF: Definitely. Students are getting used to being on campus alone. Also, many clubs in the area are 18 and older. They are very lax in following their policies and serve alcohol to underage people.
They have specials like ‘Women Drink For Free All Night’ and have deals on cheap alcohol.
It’s incredibly dangerous and easy, and puts you at risk of becoming a victim.
The second highest occurrence time would be Gasparilla.
M: What do students misunderstand most about alcohol?
GF: Students who haven’t had a lot of drinking experience in the past often have very little knowledge about the risks of alcohol. Students also don’t realize how dangerous drinking games are as well as consider the risks of taking shots.