{To Do List}

Have a lot of things on your "to do list"? Work, school, friends, family....Here are some things you have to do if your friend has been drinking a lot:

DO stay with a person who is drunk and keep them safe
DO find out how much a person has had to drink
DO find out if a drunk person has also used *drugs

DO take an intoxicated person's car keys away
DO check for the signs of ALCOHOL POISONING:

• Is the person passing out and not able to be roused?
• Is the person vomiting?
• Does the person have pale or blue-tinged skin?
• Is the person seizing?
• Is the person breathing irregularly or snoring while asleep?
• Is this person confused or very disoriented?

If the answer to any of these, or any combination of these is yes...

DO call 911 or the police. 

"He's sleeping it off. Sleeping it off doesn't sober you up. Even after a person passes out, 

blood alcohol content continues to rise. The only thing that reverses the affects of alcohol is 

time-something a person with alcohol poisoning may not have."

Here are some things to never do:

DONT leave a drunk person alone; unattended to

DONT assume a person has not had that much to drink

DONT let an intoxicated person consume more alcohol or use any drugs

DONT let a drunk person drive or walk home, especially in inclement weather 

DONT assume a drunk person is "sleeping it off" if they could be unconscious

DONT try to feed a person who is passing out, they could choke

DONT try to give a person who is passing out water or other fluids, inhalation leads to choking

DONT put a drunk person in the bath or shower, a drunk person can drown in just inches of water

DONT fail to call 911 for a person with alcohol poisoning out of fear of legal retribution.

*"drugs" can refer to any type of medication such as a prescription or illegal drug.

Poster images courtesy of: www.safecampusesnow.org

{Think for Yourself}

Most states in America try desperately to enforce a minimum, legal drinking age of 21-years-old.  Americans have varying ideas about what the minimum drinking age should be and how to handle alcohol education, especially with alcohol related injuries and deaths at an all time high. This 60 minutes clip highlights information on both sides of the argument over lowering the drinking age. It features the opinions of experts from MADD and Universities and also the Lanahans whose son, Gordie, passed away tragically from alcohol poisoning. 

Michael and Leslie Lanahan  believe a lower legal age could have allowed their son, Gordie Bailey, 

to receive medical intervention before dying of alcohol poisoning. They feel fear of retribution  prevented

 friends from calling 911 for their son. They are now the directors of an organization started in his honor. 

If you do think that a lower drinking age is appropriate, that does not mean you should break the law. Twenty-one is the law for many reasons, as explained in the clip, and needs to be respected. Binge drinking is unacceptably dangerous, especially the behavior documented in the above 60 Minutes video.

Here are some questions to consider when weighing this argument: 

Why do students and young adults under 21-years-old so often disregard alcohol laws if they  don't typically break other laws? What is the appeal of underage drinking? 

Why do you think students and young adults in organizations expect other/newer members to binge drink?

Do you think lowering the drinking age would promote safer or more dangerous drinking? What would be the safety benefits? What would be the risks?

What can you do to help your underage friends make the choice not to drink?

To read more coverage of the Amethyst Initiative, visit this link: Amethyst Initiative on CNN