Each weekend thousands of University students may drink, but it’s not all fun and games.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 1,700 college students die each year from accidents related to alcohol. Alcohol factors into more than a million accidents and assaults annually, and 97,000 reported instances of sexual abuse.
Alcoholics Anonymous hotline worker John, his only name because AA members use only first names when speaking with the press, said competitive binge drinking is “so, so dangerous, a real volatile combination.”
John said that when people binge drink, not even competitively, it can lead to potentially fatal alcohol poisoning. And there’s no real baseline for people, he said, the amount a person can drink depends on their sex, their weight and body mass and their amount of drinking experience, among other factors.
Another danger, he said, is sexual assault. He said that when women drink too much and pass out they’re vulnerable to rape and other forms of sexual assault.
He said that the danger of women getting black-out drink is “even if they’re not passed out, they’re incapacitated. I think that’s a lot more common than most people think.”
He said that college students especially are often hesitant to seek help.
“Young people, you know, they’re 20 feet tall and bullet proof.”
For those who might have a drinking problem and wish to seek professional help, on campus options include:
The Counseling Center, located at the University Health Center
Drop-in hours 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
(541) 346-3227
The Crisis Center, located at the University Health Center
Daytime drop-in hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday
Daytime number: (541) 346-3227
Nighttime and 24-hour weekend crisis line (541) 346-4488
Local help lines include:
Western Area Conference of Young People in AA – Eugene chapter (541) 543-0337
Eugene Alcoholics Anonymous 24-hour hotline (541) 342-4113
Eugene Narcotics Anonymous (541) 729-0080
Off campus help lines include:
Alcohol and Drug Help Line: 1-800-923-HELP (4357)
Alcohol and Drug Help Line (2): 1-800-621-1646