Peer Health lays your lingering Spring Break concerns to rest

Peer Health: Peer health answers: drinking and driving at Bowdoin

Every one of you knows that drinking and driving is a poor health and a poor life decision. However, I would venture to guess that at least a few of you have either driven drunk or "just a little buzzed," or ridden in a vehicle with someone who had been drinking. We all grew up watching public service commercials and reciting the safe driving mantra—and yet, sometimes it happens. I realize not everyone has a car, and a lot of people don't see driving drunk as a problem on Bowdoin's campus. I think and hope that they are correct, but mistakes can be made and we all have hometowns with Spring Break on the horizon; it couldn't hurt to review the billboards one more time.

Peer Health: Peer Health helps beat spring blues

This point in the semester is always the hardest. We have about two weeks until Ivies, and professors are giving work reminiscent of the portions of stuffing your Uncle Sal ate at Thanksgiving. For those of you fortunate enough not to have a Sal across the table, that's a lot. Over the course of the entire academic year, this stretch is one of the toughest we face. I am going to try to answer your stress questions and also take the chance to talk about some mental health questions you all may have.

Peer Health

Peer Health lays your lingering Spring Break concerns to rest

This piece represents the opinion of the author:

Carolyn Levin

Columnist

April 1, 2011

Welcome back! First let me begin by welcoming you all back to the final stretch of this marathon known as the school year. Spring break is probably my favorite break, but if any of you are like me, you come back for these last six or so weeks pretty run down and unprepared to resume the march. I am mixing metaphors. I blame the break. But here we all are once again, meaning here I am ready to answer your post-spring break health questions.

Q: I heard that some STDs take a while to register on an STD test, meaning anything over spring break may not show up. What are those and how long do they take to show?

This is true, STI/STDs do have an incubation period before any tests will positively identify them in your body, and unfortunately for the sake of our own convenience, the incubation periods differ.

For the more common STDs such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, this period is shorter than most. Chlamydia will most likely register in a few weeks, but can take as long as six weeks. Gonorrhea registers within a week, and in some cases, in as little as two days.

The incubation period for HIV however, is most commonly between two weeks and three months, but can be up to six months. Syphilis can take up to 90 days but can usually register within a month.

I realize that is a lot of numbers, so what does this mean for a spring break fling? The best advice I can give is to take advantage of the services offered at the Health Center. It is stressful to not know something like that, so I would recommend getting tested within the upcoming week or after to try and help ease some of the nerves, but keep in mind that this test may not show the whole picture.

There is not a limit on the number of STD tests that the health center will administer for you, so get tested again a few more weeks down the line just to be even safer and less stressed.

Regular testing is really a good plan for anyone who is sexually active because these incubation periods do vary from person to person and infection to infection. Try to stay safe every time you do decide to have sex and make sure your body is healthy and happy after doing so.

Q: What is the best way to detox and get back into school after spring break?

It never fails that some people come back from Spring Break about as tired and stressed as they were before they left, if not more.

We only have two weeks to pack in as much relaxation and fun as possible and we do go to Bowdoin, and we all are overachievers. Trust me, my Netflix 'watch instantly' account and I understand fun Spring Breaks. We all have to readjust and overcome that lasting fatigue and hangover.

The best remedy for this is getting into a good sleeping schedule, drinking a lot of water and, if need be, taking some time to get situated. Water is always good.

Over Spring Break, a lucky few get to relax and tan in warmer climates. Some people may have chosen to drink more alcohol than usual. Some may have watched three days worth of old Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes with their moms. Water helps rehydrate your body to help heal any sunburns or remaining dehydration that Spring Break may have helped induce.

Even if you didn't get tanned or drink, water always helps keep your body functioning well in the readjustment.

Sleeping is another big one. During spring break many of us change our sleeping schedules for countless reasons. That schedule may not work with classes and other responsibilities, so getting into a schedule that does work is important. Try to find time to get in about seven or eight hours a night so you can better cope with those responsibilities and avoid excess stress and fatigue.

This readjustment can take some time, so try to manage your time wisely but cut yourself some slack and remember it's not always easy to come back.

Good luck getting back into the swing of things. If you have any questions, once again feel free to drop them in SU box 456 or ask me or any member of peer health.

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