If You Choose to Drink, be S.M.A.R.T!

Set and Know Your Limits

• Pace yourself throughout the night.
  • It takes your liver about 1 hour to process each alcoholic drink, depending on your size, food consumed and other factors.
  • Alternate drinks with water, because alcohol dehydrates you.
• Avoid drinking games. Drinking games encourage you to drink more in a shorter period of time.
• Carbonated beverages can increase your absorption into your blood stream.
• Energy drinks and alcohol can be very dangerous because one is a depressant and one is a stimulant.
• Alternating different types of alcohol will raise and lower the sugar in your bloodstream which can just make you sick.
• Blood Alcohol Concentration (B.A.C.) is calculated using standard drink measurements. Standard drink measurements are:
  • Beer = 12 oz.
  • Malt Liquor = 8-9 oz.
  • Wine = 5 oz.
  • 80 proof Liquor = 1.5 oz.
• How does your B.A.C. affect your body?
  • 0.04-0.06: Lower inhibitions.
  • 0.07-0.09: Impairment of balance, speech, vision and reaction time.
  • 0.13-0.15: Lack of physical control.
  • 0.20: Feeling dazed, confused or disoriented.
  • 0.30: Little comprehension of where you are.
  • 0.40 & up: Onset of coma and possible death due to respiratory arrest.

Make a Plan Before

• Go and stay with friends you know.
• Always eat a full meal before you drink.
• Tell someone when you are going to return home.
• Always have a sober buddy in your group.

Appoint a Sober Driver

• If you have been drinking, DO NOT drive.
• Even when you feel like alcohol is not affecting you, you still have B.A.C. and therefore it is illegal and unsafe for you to drive.
• A sober driver is not the least drunk person; a sober driver is the person who has not drank at all!
• There is no way to sober up quickly. Time is the only thing that will sober an individual.

Responsible Means Over 21

• There is nothing responsible about breaking the law. If you are under 21 you should not be drinking.
• There are many things you can do at OSU and in Stillwater for fun that do not include drinking.
• People have different reasons for not drinking, and others should respect that decision.

Think Before You Drink

• Always make your own drinks.
• Don’t drink from a punch bowl.
• Watch your drink at all times.
• Keep your body hydrated. Alcohol dehydrates you. By drinking a glass of water for every alcohol drink you consume, you will keep your body hydrated.

Signs of Alcohol Poisoning

• Does not respond to being shouted at or poked
• Can’t stand alone
• Can’t wake the person up
• Slow breathing (less than 6 breaths per minute)
• Cool, purplish or flushed skin
• Irregular or slow pulse (less than 40 beats per minute)
• Vomits while passed out

If anyone has these signs of alcohol poisoning, CALL 911 FOR HELP!

• Alcohol lowers your inhibitions. If someone has been consuming alcohol know that they CANNOT give effective consent to any sexual contact.
• Alcohol affects your emotions. Don’t drink if you are hungry, angry, lonely or tired
• Think about the consequences of drinking!