Each year, college students spend

$5.5 billion on alcohol (mostly

beer.) This is more than they
spend on books, soda, coffee,
juice, and milk combined.
-Office for Substance Abuse Prevention
The average age to start
drinking is 8.

The average age to start

binge drinking is 13.
-Alcohol Research Institute
On a typical campus, the average
amount a student spends on
alcohol is $466 per year.
-Office for Substance Abuse Prevention
Alcohol kills more teenagers than all
other drugs combined.
-National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
40% of all academic problems
are alcohol-related.
-Harvard School of Public Health
After drinking alcohol, one in seven 16-
to-24-year-olds have had unprotected
sex, while one in five have had sex that
they regretted.

One in 10 have been unable to remember

if they had sex the night before.
-PPFA
One night of heavy drinking can impair
your ability to think abstractly for up to
30 days.
-American Campuses 2003 and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
 300,000 of today's
college students will
eventually die of
alcohol-related causes.
-College Drinking & Alcohol Awareness Organization
159,000 of today's first- year college
students will drop out of school next
year for alcohol.
- -College Drinking & Alcohol Awareness Organization
90% of acquaintance rapes involve alcohol

…..

85% of rapes on campus are acquaintance

rapes.
Audio

ALCOHOL
 Discussion

How did you feel as you listened to the

audio and after reading some of these
facts?
Why do you think residents drink?
SPIN THE BOTTLE
Sex, Lies, & Alcohol
 Top Reasons
College Students Drink

• To be drunk
• To be confident/have fun
• To relax/escape Grey's Anatomy

• To be around friends Scrubs

• Boredom
• Because the environment/society tells
them to!
SPIN THE BOTTLE
GLAMORIZING ALCOHOL
 Consequences of Drinking
-Short-term Physical Problems
-Long-term Physical Problems
-Mental and Emotional Instability
-Sexual Assault story

-Bad behavior/choices
-Becoming a joke/the entertainment Old School

-Death
ALCOHOL IS A DRUG!
 Recognizing An Alcohol Problem
Immediate Signs Long-term Signs
• Inability to perform •Withdrawal (Friends, family,

normal functions
activities, community) The OC
(talking,
walking, knowing where they are) •Poor academic
• Physical Illness (throwing
performance (Class attendance,
up, losing consciousness, headaches, bloodshot eyes, coated
tongue) study habits, need for sleep, fatigue)

• Emotional Distress •Set behavior

(lashing out, extreme emotional highs and lows, distress)
patterns (Feel need for regular

• Memory Loss drinking/partying, behavior and attitude change, appetite

change) Desperate Housewives
 RA RESPONSE
On-Call Situations
Double Check
No gum in mouth
Posture
Confidence
Nametag

First
Announce yourself
Use even and level voice tones
Make sure no one is in apparent need of immediate medical care
Identify the roommates of the room
Remember to use please and thank you
The calmer you appear- the more in control you will feel
 RA On-Call!
• Ask for help
• Cold showers, coffee, exercise, etc will not make things better. Time
is the only solution.
• Expect outbursts and irrationality.
• Explain what you are seeing (not what you think)
• Do not feel like you have to catch everything.
• You are the job
• No finger pointing, arm crossing, hands on hips
• Take mental notes
• Basic rules- never touch anything
• Do not leave intoxicated persons alone
• Have intoxicated persons sleep on their side to keep airway open
Talking about Alcohol Problems

• Be a friend- show you care.

• Intervention/conversations are only the first part of a

process.

• ASK FOR HELP! Seek out professionals.

• Alcohol abuse is often a cover for deeper issues.

Spin the Bottle
Changing the Culture
 Discussion

How can you help to change the use and abuse of

alcohol on campus?

How can we have proactive discussions with

residents about alcohol?
-Engage in conversation
-Allow time for reflection
-Ask questions
 Changing the Face of Alcohol

How should we set our expectations when it

comes to alcohol use?
-consistency, consistency, consistency

-How can we get residents interested in

other activities than drinking?
Programming!
 You Make A Difference!
• Role Model
• Speak Up
• Have Confidence
• Be Consistent & Fair
• It’s the LAW
• Know your limitations
• Recognize it’s not always just an alcohol
problem
• Look at more than the student for a solution
• See the bigger picture
 The RA Song

Q&A
Programming
On-Call
Conversations/Intervention
?