Welcome to the first installment of "Ask Peer Health," a place where your health-related, Bowdoin or non-Bowdoin related questions, concerns and issues will be addressed. This week, our main focus is going to be alcohol, especially when it comes to returning to campus.
Concern: Security has been "trigger-happy" ever since the number of transports increased last year. My friend "Matilda" has been on the verge of "scary drunk" a couple of nights, but I haven't called Security because I don't think she's been hospital-scary. Has Security instituted harsher guidelines as to what constitutes a transport?
Peer Health: Okay, so we as a group had the same question about transport numbers, and we went to the source. Security has not in fact changed any of their procedures for their check-ins on intoxicated students. They still check responsiveness, coherence, heart rate, as well as check for clamminess, paleness and vomiting. If a student shows signs of alcohol poisoning in these areas, Security will call for a transport.
It is a judgment call, but they are all well trained to look for symptoms and how to act in emergencies. This means that students transported last year, and early this year, would most likely also have been transported five years ago.
That being said, the majority of Security check-ins do not end in transports. This means, if you call security to check on a friend, peer or stranger, the assumption that they will automatically be transported is not true. As for your friend, if you have a bad feeling or are a bit scared for any reason, trust your gut.
Security may just come to check in, help them home and into bed, and then be on their way. If something is in fact wrong, they will be there to make sure everyone ends up safe and healthy. Mom always said better safe than sorry.
Concern: So what would happen at the hospital if "Matilda" did need to be transported?
Peer Health: One common misconception is that, if you go to the hospital, the doctors there can "cure you" of alcohol poisoning. This is not really the case. There are several things that can happen at the hospital, depending on how high Matilda's blood alcohol content (BAC) is.
The first thing they might do is pump her stomach to prevent any alcohol that has not yet been absorbed into her blood stream from being absorbed. They will also probably hook her up to an IV to start re-hydrating her, since the alcohol would have caused her to become severely dehydrated. If she had a high enough BAC to cause her to have difficulty breathing, an irregular heartbeat, or organ failure, they could also put her on life support; i.e. intubation to help her breathe, a machine to pump her heart, etc.
Concern: Every time I go to Joshua's Tavern I end up getting way more messed up than I mean to—what's up with that?
Peer Health: Oh, it's great to be 21. Joshua's can be super fun, but newbies often end up getting smashed. This may be because of a few things.
One: You aren't drinking out of a Natty Light can anymore. The beers are bigger. In fact, the average beer poured into a Joshua's glass is actually one-and-a-third cans. So, when you say you've had two glasses you've actually had about three servings of alcohol.
Two: If you are drinking new, exciting mixed drinks, watch to see how much alcohol goes in when they stir it up behind the bar. Ask about it before you order it. For example, ask what is in that "Grateful Dead" drink?
"Let's see... we've got about a shot of tequila, a shot of triple sec, a shot of rum, a shot of vodka, a shot of gin, and a little less than a shot of sweet and sour mix - oh, and to top it off, a little more than a shot of raspberry liqueur, give or take some alcohol due to pouring technique. Sounds super tasty, but it gets you pretty messed up."
Third, watch the popcorn. It's really good and may seem like a great thing to munch on in order to lay low on drinking for a bit, but the salt is going to make you thirsty. Then you may drink to quench the thirst and end up drinking more than you'd originally planned. Bars are, however, a rite of passage for all 21-year-old Americans, so go have fun—just keep these things in mind to avoid a killer hangover on Wednesday.