The Impact of Alcohol Use-- FACTS and MYTHS
- Myth #1: Drinking hasn't affected my academics. I can't see how it could harm me?
- Fact #1: Alcohol is a depressant affecting one's physical and mental health, including mood, memory, energy level and physical/ bodily functions i.e. blood pressure and impact on organs such as liver, pancreas. Chronic use affects brain chemistry, makeup and overall well being defined beyond academic success.
- Myth #2: Everybody drinks (heavily) in college & blacking out is just part of it.
- Fact #2: Most UM students drink moderately or not at all. Only a small fraction of students drinks heavily and frequently. However, some of them report drinking/ use as "the same old stuff, with the same old people" becoming boring and they are ready to move on.
Want to know where you stand?
- EChug
- EToke (for THC use)
- Fact #2a: Blackouts are not a standard part of drinking.
- Myth #3: Sobering up - "drinking black coffee, taking a cold bath or shower, sleeping it off, or walking it off" will help if I or a friend had "1 too many".
- Fact #3: None of these strategies work. The only thing that reverses the effects of alcohol is time-something you may not have if you or your friend is suffering from alcohol poisoning.
More Facts
- Rapid binge drinking is especially dangerous because a person can ingest a fatal dose of alcohol before realizing the effects of the alcohol consumed, before becoming unconscious.
- National data suggests that most college students- including UM students- drink moderately or not at all, while our perceptions may be skewed depending on with whom we surround ourselves.
Common Myths
- People respect me for how much I drink/ use - MYTH!
- It's expected to drink and drinking makes friends - MYTH!
- As long as grades are not affected drinking is no problem - MYTH
- The more I drink the more fun I have (only to a point...) - MYTH!
- Nothing can happen to me - MYTH!
- Alcohol alone is the most commonly used date rape drug, and "90% of all sexual assaults of college students involve alcohol" In addition, "more than half of STDs were transmitted under the influence of alcohol"
- Coffee, cold shower, food helps one to sober up - MYTH!
- Puking will keep away alcohol poisoning or hangovers - MYTH!
- Sex is better when drunk - MYTH!
- While alcohol may make you think/ feel that - the result is usually rather anti-climactic (literally and figuratively)