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Alcohol Safety

Know your body

  • Body weight, gender and other factors determine how much the level of alcohol in your blood (BAL or BAC) rises with each standard drink you consume.
  • Check out the figures below - everyone’s BAC is not affected at the same level by one drink.
Men BAC
  • In most weight ranges, women’s BAC rises more per drink than men’s.
  • But BAC goes back down at the same rate for everyone, .016/hour, as the liver and other mechanisms for metabolizing alcohol do their work.
  • If you know these facts, and you know the number of standard drinks you’re consuming, you can identify a safe range -- at least in theory and you can figure out how long it will take your BAC to return to zero. That’s a good start.
  • Adjust for the number of standard drinks. Some “drinks” have more than one standard drink, such as a Long Island Iced Tea, with more than 3.25.

Take it easy

  • It takes 30 minutes for the full effect of a drink to be felt.
  • If you go too fast, you can drink past your body’s warning signs and even lose the vomit reflex, designed by nature to keep you out of trouble.
  • Shots can be dangerous because people find it easy to keep doing them when they don’t feel the effect right away.
  • BAC can still be increasing even when a person has “passed out.”
  • Many prescription and over-the-counter drugs can affect the impact of alcohol on a person. See the e-chug drinking quiz on this website for information on drug interactions.

Have Fun (and remember it)

  • Less really is better. The “buzz“ occurs for most people at the lower levels of BAC - .02 to .06.
  • Physiologist Kevin Strang explains that the buzz is an effect of rising blood alcohol limit - within a safe range. (When UCOMM has made the 6-7 minute video of Kevin, we can link to it here.)
  • The buzz is best maintained by going slowly to maximize the effect and reduce the chance of a sharp decline and feeling bad.
  • Tips: Drink slowly. Alternate alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic drinks. A meal high in fat content will slow the absorption of alcohol too.
  • Is it fun if you don’t remember? Alcohol interferes with the brain receptors that promote learning and the formation of new memories. People can participate in mundane activities or emotionally charged activities - get in a fight or have sex for examples- and have no memory.
  • Some people think it’s normal to black out. Your body doesn’t. Besides the risks from what you might do, blackouts in late adolescence can affect the long term functioning of memory. Drinking fast and drinking on an empty stomach seem to increase the chance of blacking out.
  • To save money and give your organs a break, identify things you like to do that don’t involve drinking, and people you like to do them with.

Make some good friends

  • People you can trust.
  • People who won’t get you into trouble.
  • People who will help you if you need it.
  • People who won’t leave you behind.
  • People who will think of their responsibility to you and to our community first.
  • People who will not pressure you to consume more than you want.

Learn your limits

Here’s how BAC corresponds to feeling drunk for many people, but each person is different, and different people may possess different capacities for metabolizing alcohol, based on genetics.

.02-.03: Somewhat relaxed, maybe lightheaded, inhibitions loosened. Mood prior to drinking may be mildly intensified (Dr. Strang explains this as "alcohol myopia.")

.05-.06: Warm, relaxed, euphoria possible. People who are reserved may become more outgoing. Behavior may be exaggerated, making you louder or faster or bolder than usual. Emotions are intensified, for better or worse.

.08-.09: In Wisconsin, you are legally intoxicated at .08. Speech slurs, balance and motor coordination are impaired, as are judgment and other senses. People often believe they are functioning better than they really are.

.10-.12: Significant impairment of speech, motor skills, judgment and memory. Emotions become exaggerated, and some people become loud, aggressive, or belligerent.

.14-.17: Even before this, euphoria can turn to unpleasant feelings, coupled with difficulty talking, walking, or even standing. Severe impairment of judgment and memory. Blackouts possible. Increased aggression, and increased risk of accidental injury to yourself or others. UW-Madison students have been transported to the Detoxification Center in this range.

.20: Vomiting can begin well before this, as can confusion and disorientation. People may need assistance walking or standing. Ability to feel pain is impaired.

.30 - .35: Stupor. Nationally, there have been deaths among students with a BAC in this range. Breathing and the heart can stop.

.40: Most humans will be dead. The brain and other organs can learn to accommodate increasing BAC levels over time, but it is usually a sign of alcohol dependence and an indication that the person should have an alcohol assessment with a health care provider.

Don’t try to keep up with people who’ve been drinking for four years

  • Because students overestimate the amount others drink, it may not always be obvious that someone’s drinking is a problem. If you have accommodated to BAC in the very high ranges, please consult a health care provider about your situation! A doctor, nurse or counselor can direct you to help. A house fellow or Residence Life staff member can too.
  • When the body has to learn to accommodate itself to increasingly high BAC, the adjustment can lead to dependence on alcohol and later to dangerous withdrawal symptoms, such as strokes, seizures and heart attacks.
  • Trying to force the body to accommodate can kill you.
  • Before you give in to pressure to consume more than you want, or before you encourage someone else to take that next drink, think about it.
  • People who have a family history of alcoholism and people who begin drinking at younger ages, have a higher risk of becoming alcohol dependent. Talk to someone if you are concerned about your risk. The e-chug quiz can also provide personalized, confidential information about your risk.
  • If drinking is causing problems in your life, or the life of someone you know, talk to someone!

Warning: Energy Drinks and Alcohol

  • The stimulant effect of caffeine masks the intoxicating effects of alcohol. You are just as drunk, except you feel it less. The risk of drinking past your safe limit is increased; so are the risks associated with impaired judgment and motor coordination.
  • Like alcohol, caffeine is a diuretic and will contribute to the dehydration associated with drinking and hangovers. Dehydration can lead to disorientation, passing out and seizures.
  • Mixing a depressant (alcohol) and a stimulant (caffeine) confuses the body’s normal response to either substance. Alcohol slows the heart and caffeine speeds it up. Some experts feel this could cause the body system to crash and lead to death, particularly if an individual has underlying health issues.