My sons live in a popular college town where the major university is known as a party school. The older one doesn't drink, the younger one runs his own microbrewery. The good thing is that I've never had to worry about them and alcohol because, I think, we taught them well. However, every year, we hear a story about a death following a fraternity house party. With coeds moving back into dorms over the next couple of weeks, there are a few things about alcohol your college kids should know.
1) The active ingredient in alcohol, ethanol, can cause respiratory depression, shutting down breathing.
2) Someone could have imbibed a lethal amount of alcohol without anyone else knowing it.
3) The only thing E.R. doctors can do is insert a breathing tube to try to keep the patient alive.
4) Each person's ability to "hold" and metabolize alcohol differs with gender, age, weight and more.
5) While the risk of long-term damage from alcohol poisoning may be low, the immediate risk of harming oneself - or another - while under the influence can be very high.
6) Permanent brain damage is possible if one becomes asphyxiated or chokes on his own vomit.
Read the article: Alcohol Poisoning, by Rich Maloof for MSN Health & Fitness
Related EmpowHer resources:
What Every Parent Should Know About College Binge Drinking, by Amy Scholten, MPH
True or False: Mixing Different Types of Alcohol Increases Your Risk of Getting Sick, by Jacquelyn Rudis
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