by Catherine Norris
Fayetteville, Ark. – The Spring Break holiday begins next week and students from around the country converge on classic destinations known for partying. Whether students hit the beach or ski the slopes, consuming alcohol will likely be on the agenda. Before starting the party, Emery Gower of Pat Walker Health Center advises students to make plans that will help them stay safe.
“Have some money set aside for an Uber or Lyft, throw a portable charger in your bag, and figure out the best way to keep track of your friends throughout the night before that first drink,” Gower said.
When students neglect safety, the worst can happen. Binge drinking is one of the biggest concerns for students who do not mind their limits when it comes to alcohol consumption. Binge drinking is defined by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as a pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration levels to 0.08 or above.
Reaching this level only takes 5 drinks for men and 4 drinks for women in a 2-hour period. With the average male consuming 18 drinks on average during Spring Break, based on statistics from the American Journal of College Health, the likeliness of falling into a pattern of binge drinking becomes very real.
Partying with safety in mind also helps protect Spring Breakers from the risk of becoming victims of sexual assault. Every year 700,000 college students suffer from alcohol-related assault, according to Forbes. According to the National Institute of Health, 89 percent of female sexual assault survivors reported drinking alcohol before their assault. Ways to prevent this from happening include avoiding drinking from open sources, never leaving a drink unattended and using the buddy system.