EDITOR:
It is Monday morning after the Super Bowl and you are finding it difficult to function fully at work. You start to think back to the shots you drank after each score your team made. It could happen to anyone. It is your friend's wedding. You drink a toast to every comment made about the happy couple. It could happen to anyone. It is New Year's Eve and champagne flows like water at the party you have attended. You love champagne. It could happen to anyone. It is 4th of July. This day has become synonymous with fireworks, hot dogs and cold beer. The heat of the day invites beer after beer. It could happen to anyone. Frankly, few of us give a second thought to these instances of heavy drinking.
Drinking alcohol is a part of many of our lives, and most people use it very responsibly. Unfortunately, some drink to excess, or binge, endangering their health and possibly those around them. Binge drinking is defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as drinking five or more drinks if you are male and four or more drinks if you are female within a few hours. According to a 2007 Community Forum conducted by the Partnership of Community Resources, an estimated 40 percent of adults binge drink. This high tolerance of adult binge drinking translates into community acceptance of this behavior and the perception that binging is not dangerous. The 2007 Douglas County youth risk behavior survey reports that 32 percent of high school students have binged in the past month, closely mirroring the percentage of adults who binge drink.
It is important to know that not only does alcohol endanger your brain and liver, binge drinking puts you at high risk of alcohol poisoning. This is a very serious and possibly fatal reaction to the consumption of too much alcohol. According to SAMHSA, when too much alcohol is consumed, your brain is deprived of oxygen. The brain will eventually shut down, affecting your breathing and heart rate. Be alert if someone around you has been drinking large amounts of alcohol. Science tells us that the blood alcohol levels continue to rise even after you stop drinking. Symptoms of alcohol poisoning can include cold, clammy, pale, or bluish skin, vomiting, unconsciousness and/or slow or irregular breathing. Please do not leave someone with these symptoms to sleep it off. Alcohol poisoning is very serious and potentially deadly. For more information, please contact the Partnership of Community Resources at 782-8611.
Martie Washington
Partnership of Community Resources
