In honor of Alcohol Responsibility Month, more than 50 students came to Memorial Union Tuesday to hear how dangerous competitive drinking games can be.
Graduate student Lucas Blount spoke at ARM’s lunch bag “Take the CHANCE Out of Drinking” event about different types of competitive drinking games. The event sought to emphasize the difference between men and women when it comes to their ability to consume alcohol and the dangers of not knowing just how much alcohol one is consuming.
“Especially in drinking games, (the amount) is a lot more alcohol than people think they are consuming,” Blount said.
To demonstrate, Blount did an experiment that involved four students: sophomores Hanna Runyon and Amber Gase; junior Kelsey Lammy; and senior Sara Lukefahr, the student director of ARM. The four students were playing a game of flip cup, a popular drinking game, with water.
Blount explained that all four were to be on the same team and told the audience to see how long it took them to finish the game. Their game was over in 25 seconds.
“These girls played with two ounces of alcohol and finished in 25 seconds,” Blount said to the audience. “If they were to play for an hour, at the rate they finished, they would end up being way above the legal limit.”
This demonstration allowed the audience see a real-life example of the reality of drinking games.
“It really made me think more about how much is consumed by people who do play,” said Runyon, who is also Miss Columbia 2012. “I personally don’t drink, but it makes you think about how you need to be careful.”
Blount also talked about the differences between men and women, and how women need to be more careful when it comes to drinking responsibly.
“Men and women have a different concentrate of water in their bodies, which means women don’t dilute as much of the alcohol in their bodies,” he said. “Women are also more susceptible to long-term dangers, such as pancreatic cancer.”
Lukefahr said she hoped people learned the dangers of competitive drinking and grew more aware.
“It’s so important for young people to learn about the dangers because, especially in college, alcohol is around us in different places — bars, parties, everywhere,” she said. “It’s not like we’re telling (students) to not drink. We just want them to learn to drink in safe ways and make sure they stay protected.”
Last year, about 1,800 college-aged students were killed because of drinking, the most prominent cause being alcohol-related accidents.
“Drinking games can be fun, but you need to remember to protect yourself,” Blount said. “Doing things such as alternating drinks (of alcohol) with water and soda, eating before or during drinking, watching drinks being poured so you know just how much you are consuming and setting a limit will help you stay safe while you’re drinking.”
Blount also talked about what to do when a friend has had too much to drink or is exhibiting symptoms of alcohol poisoning.
“If a friend passes out or starts turning a bluish color, make sure to call 911 and stay with them until an ambulance arrives,” Blount said. “Make sure to lay them down, keep them on their side and prop their head up with a backpack or pillow.”
According to a study conducted by the Wellness Resource Center last year, 89.2 percent of students value friendship more than drinking alcohol.
“I’m not sure who the other 11 percent of students are that don’t value friendship, but just be assured that 90 percent of people would be there for you if you were in a bad situation with alcohol,” Blount said.