J. Michael Rodriguez 18

Alcohol is the culprit in more than 25 percent of the drop-out cases at SIUC, the alcohol and drug coordinator for the Wellness Center says.

Alcohol is very much a college issue, Barb Fijolek said. It is a factor in 40 percent of all academic problems and 28 percent of dropouts here at SIU.

Advertisement

SIUC’s Wellness Center is taking part in the 11th annual National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week this week.

The various activities this week include a breathalyzer demonstration, a program on the effects of alcohol and drugs on the body and a demonstration with fatal vision goggles to show how inaccurate alcohol makes a person’s vision.

Fijolek said excessive alcohol usage could lower students’ grades, have them miss classes more often and may result in flunking out of school.

Almost one-third of students report missing class because of substance use, SIUC’s 1993 Core Drug and Alcohol Survey states.

Ninety-three percent of SIUC students have used alcohol at least once in their lives, compared to 92 percent at a national level, the survey stated. The survey also reported that 73 percent of students have consumed alcohol within the last 30 days.

College students feel that to have a good time they must drink as much or even more than their friends and often don’t even think about the consequences, said Jeff Becker, alcohol and drug researcher for the Beer Institute in Washington, D.C.

It’s a chain effect. Many students drink to forget their school problems, so they go out and drink heavily. Drinking heavily then results in a hangover or other illnesses that prevents the student from attending class. That doesn’t make sense.

Advertisement*

The Beer Institute educates consumers about health awareness and responsible consumption.

Dolly Green, alcohol specialist for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, said students often overlook the alcohol-related health issues.

When looking at student health issues, a key issue is alcohol, Green said. Many students, college students especially, don’t realize the effects that alcohol has on their body. It causes you to become unbalanced, it causes blurred vision, and very often makes people overweight.

Most students don’t realize that a six-pack of beer contains 1,000 calories. Binge drinking is a popular thing among college students.

SIUC’s study found that 41 percent of SIUC students reported binge drinking consuming five or more drinks in a row at least once in a two-week period.

Binge drinking often results in unwanted sexual encounters and in some cases death by drinking and driving, Green said

Between 240,000 and 360,000 college students will eventually die of alcohol-related causes sometime during their college years, according to studies conducted by the National Clearinghouse of Alcohol and Drug Information.

The clearinghouse also states that the typical college student spends more money for alcohol than for books.

Students think the cost of education is high, Fijolek said. However, the cost of alcohol use is even higher.

Fijolek said students who attend the activities throughout this week should benefit immensely by learning the dangers of drinking.

Students must realize that they’re here to solve the problems not create them, Fijolek said. The purpose of the week is to bring awareness of the programs and services to the students.

The Wellness Center sees between 200 and 300 students per semester in referral or on their own regarding alcohol and drug use, Fijolek said.

We want people to know that when they get in a pinch, Fijolek said, they don’t have to struggle with that by themselves.