BAC

Myth: The more I drink, the better I feel.
Fact: Alcohol depresses the brain, however, the initial effects may feel stimulating. We call this the GREEN ZONE. The following chart explains what a person may experience at specific BAC levels.

Here is a chart explaining what you might experience at specific levels of BAC. As you can see, there are three zones:
GREEN ZONE = stimulating effects
BLUE ZONE = depressant effects
RED ZONE = most dangerous or harmful effects.

GREEN ZONE .00--.06 Alcohol depresses the outermost region of the brain that integrates sensory stimuli and controls social behavior. The effects may feel stimulating. Social inhibitions are decreased. Minimal interference with sleep. Self-monitoring remains in tact. After this point, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep track of friends at a party or the number of drinks you’ve consumed.

BLUE ZONE .06-.24 .10 Sight and hearing are depressed. People become louder and inhibitions are further compromised. .15 Muscle coordination is significantly compromised. Walking and other gross motor movements become challenging. Drivers at this level are 380 times more likely to have a singlevehicle, fatal car crash (Century Council, 2000). .20 Mental confusion greatly increases. Memory centers are compromised.

RED ZONE .25-.60 .25 All senses are greatly compromised. Vomiting will likely occur (although may occur at previous levels). .30 Blacking-out is probable. Memory centers are shut down completely. .40 The individual ranges from semi-conscious to comatose. Immediate medical attention is required. .50 Death is probable. Breathing shuts down.

*BAC = Blood Alcohol Concentration
The amount of alcohol in the blood stream per parts of blood. For instance, a BAC of .10 suggests that there is 1 part alcohol for every 1,000 parts blood in the body.

Determining Your BAC

What matters most?

1. Amount consumed - This includes drinking fast and the amount consumed by volume (e.g., shots, beer, wine).

2. Weight - A person’s weight influences the amount of alcohol that can be safely consumed.

3. Gender - Men metabolize (i.e., chemically break down alcohol) more quickly than women:
a.the average male weighs more than the average woman.
b.men tend to have more muscle mass which helps in the absorption of alcohol
c.men have a greater amount of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase in their stomach helping them metabolize alcohol more quickely.
d.Hormones: a woman’s menstrual cycle and taking birth control pills make women more susceptible to higher BACs.

4. Food and Hydration - If you eat and hydrate before you drink (especially a full meal tht includes protein) you can reduce your peak by as much as 40% (Century Council, 2000).

5. Time - A person’s BAC decreases very slowly over time (about .016 per hour). Hence if a person’s BAC is .160 it will take 10 hours to return to a .000 BAC.

Weight And Gender Matter

Take a look at these two BAC cards. Notice the significant differences among the following cards.

WE NEED THESE GRAPHICS

Alcohol and Performance

Most students would never drink the night before an exam or thletic contest because they don’t want alcohol to negatively influence their performance. Most students are unaware, however, that alcohol can have other, less obvious, but dramatic influences upon their performance.

GREEN ZONE has minimal influence on sleep and thus may not significantly interfere with academic or athletic outcomes throughout a semester.

BLUE ZONE & RED ZONE decreases the amount of R.E.M sleep you obtain that night. R.E.M sleep is a critical component of performance because it is when your
1. memory functioning and
2. Human Growth Hormones are released (i.e., HGH heals muscle tissue after strenuous activity).
Hence, a good night’s sleep might be more important FOLLOWING an important study session or “game day” for athletes than the night before.

Tolerance

MYTH: Developing tolerance is a self-protective mechanism nhances our response to alcohol

FACT: You develop a tolerance to the effects of alcohol, not protection against elevated BAC levels.
FACT: A person with tolerance may not experience the significant effects until .08. With tolerance, you miss the GREEN ZONE effects.

A Friend in Need

Students frequently report not knowing what to do when a friend is extremely intoxicated and possibly in need of medical attention.

First lie the person on her or his side with head resting on outstretched arm (to avoid choking on vomit).

Second conduct 15-30 minute checks on the person until either they are able to be wakened or they are showing signs of medical distress (see below).

Third check for breathing at 15-30 minute intervals. Place your ear up to their nose and mouth and watch their chest rise and fall. A typical resting respiration rate is about once every five seconds. A student who is in medical danger will exhibit signs of respiratory failure such as diminished breathing (once every 8-10 seconds), shallow or irregular breathing, or a blue tint in their extremities.

Fourth you should assess signs of respiratory failure then call for immediate medical attention. Call campus safety at 5330 and inform them that you have a friend in need of medical attention under the GOOD SAMARITAN POLICY. Your friend will receive the required medical assistance, but will not face disciplinary action.

Perception Is Not Reality

Students often overestimate the amount that their peers use alcohol and other drugs.

Some common facts about Lafayette students that are frequently misperceived*:

• 52.7% of Lafayette students drink once per week or less
• 70% of Lafayette students have not used marijuana in the past year
• 97% of Lafayette students have not used cocaine, ecstacy, or other similar drugs in the past year
• 90% of Lafayette students use at least one “protective behavior” (i.e., alternating alcoholic with non-alcoholic beverages) when they go out.

Why do we misperceive?

• 1/3 of Lafayette students drink 3/4 of the alcohol consumed on campus*. These heavy drinkers more often shape our perception than do the 2/3 majority.
• Also, we are more likely to remember extreme behaviors at parties than the majority of students who are in their GREEN ZONE.

The Media – Advertising**
Despite an oath to avoid marketing beer and liquor to underage people, the alcohol industry actively markets its products to the under 21 population. Here are some facts you might not know.

• The alcohol industry spends about $1 billion per year on advertising.
• Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, and Miller Lite each spent 87% of their budget on select sports programming with a large underage audience.
• An underage person was 93 times more likely to view a pro-alcohol ad whereas as adults were twice as likely to view a mandated “drink responsibly” ad.
• Hispanic and African-American youth were exposed to more alcohol advertising than any other underage group.

The Media – News

• College drinking has reached epidemic proportions” quotes a major media source, despite significant evidence to the contrary. We rarely, if ever read headlines such as “College students are working extremely hard.”
• Companies such as the Princeton Review promote the party school mentality. Did you know that they never assess the degree of drinking on a campus, but ask “How often do you think students at your school drink?”

Staying in the Green Zone

Students report the following ways to stay in the GREEN ZONE

• Alternate alcoholic with non-alcoholic beverages.
• Decide in advance what number of drinks you will be consuming that night. Utilize your BACZone card to determine how may drinks will keep you in the GREEN ZONE.
• Eat and drink water within 1-2 hours before you drink. It is equally important to eat and hydrate throughout the night.
• Engage in other activities throughout the night. Standing around in one area can put you at risk for going beyond your predetermined limit.
• Avoid drinking games. Drinking large amounts in a short amount of time make it difficult to stay in your GREEN ZONE.
• Avoid “pre-partying.” Once you reach the BLUE ZONE, alcohol will have only depressant effects for the remainder of the night.
• If you are late to arrive at a party, do not “catch-up” with the number of drinks your friends have already had. They might be in the GREEN ZONE while you will be in the BLUE ZONE because of the short duration that you consumed the same amount of drinks.
• Think about your personal academic or athletic goals. Frequently, by making small changes such as staying in your GREEN ZONE can have a significant positive influence on your overall performance.

This page was created to help you maximize the likelihood of achieving such goals. When asked, most students say that they learned how to drink through trial and error. Students, however, frequently report that they were unaware of the ways that they can maximize their performance by making even small changes to drinking habits. This page may help you “reach your peak.”

The information presented here is based on programs sponsored by the Lafayette College Counseling Center. Please call 610-330-5005 to schedule a program. The program has been presented to Greek letter organizations, residence halls, resident advisors, athletes, and coaches