Drugs and Alcohol

Goal:  To inform students of the effects and consequences of alcohol and drug use and abuse.

 

Day 1 - Drugs

Ideas and Activities

  1. Review with students Types of Drugs
    Include in the discussions the fact that there are three major factors influencing drug affects (Holstein, et al., 1995):
    the amount of the drug
    the frequency of its use
    the period of time that it is used

    The other factors that are related specifically to each individual also play into the full picture, including:

    physical factors such as your weight, metabolism, gender, health and race
    emotional factors including your mood, expectations, previous experience and any mental problems that might exist
    external factors including the setting where you drink or use the drug and whether you are with friends, with strangers or alone
    drug combinations such as drinking while on other medications, or drinking in order to come off a high from another drug.
  2. Discuss and give examples of the Progressive Stages of Drug Use adapted from A Matter of Balance.

 

Day 2 - Alcohol

Ideas and Activities

  1.     Discussion -
    Know the laws governing underage drinking.  The legal age to purchase and drink alcohol is 21.
    Underage drinking of alcohol is illegal.
    Underage purchase of alcohol is illegal.
    The use of "fake" identification to purchase alcohol is illegal.
    Purchasing alcohol for underage persons is illegal.
    Alcohol is illegal on campus as stated in the student handbook (p.77 - Drug - Free Schools and Communities Act)
    DUI laws
  2.     Discussion - An average of 4,000 Americans die from alcohol poisoning each   year by drinking a lethal, excessive amount of alcohol in a short time.
  3.     Discussion:  How much is one drink of alcohol?
        One Drink = 1/2 oz. of Alcohol Content:

    1/2 oz. brandy                
    1/2 oz. liquor with mixer
    1/2 oz. liquor straight   
    12 oz. beer
    7 oz. malt liquor              
    5 oz. wine

  4.     Discuss Type of Alcohol and Characteristics of Drinker.
  5.     Provide examples to discuss the BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) tables.  Example: Mary weighs 150 lb., and she had 3 drinks in 4 hours at a party.  What is her final BAC?

    Step 1:  Determine the initial, estimated BAC measure using the gender, body weight and number of drinks table.  (Using the table, Mary's estimated BAC would be .101)

    Step 2:  Calculate the final, estimated BAC by subtracting the time factor value associated with the number of hours since the first drink.   (Since Mary stayed 4 hours - .045- at the party, her final BAC would be .056).   (.101 - .045 = .056)

    Step 3:  Read the description of the BAC Level from the table.  (Mary's would be-lowered inhibitions, feelings of relaxation, some loss of muscular coordination, decreased alertness.)

  6.    Discuss, in groups, situations where the student or friends were drinking.  Use the following
       questions:
    How much alcohol was consumed?
    What was the time period of the drinking?
    What was the gender and approximate weight of each person drinking?
  7.     Have students answer* the following questions to estimate their biological risk of alcoholism (Yes or No):
    1. Do I have a strong family history of alcoholism? (Are there multiple blood relatives with alcoholism?  Are the relatives close in the blood line?   Has the alcoholism developed fairly rapidly in the relatives?
    2. Do I have a grandparent with alcoholism?
    3. Did I have an unusual early response to alcohol?  (Did you either have an unusually high tolerance or an unusual mild flushing with mild discomfort from small amounts of alcohol?
    4. Have I developed a significantly increased tolerance for alcohol?   (Can I drink significantly more now before becoming impaired than in the beginning?)  (Daugherty, et al) 
      *Students may want to keep their answers to these questions private.

           

            FEEDBACK TO ABOVE QUESTIONS:

            If you                                                                         Your biological risk is:

            Answered all four questions with "no"                   No sign

            Answered Question 1 with "yes" or                       Strong sign
            answered any other two questions with
            "yes"    

            Answered "yes" to either Question 2, 3,               Some sign
            or 4

Question for open discussion:  How will this information affect your behavior in the future?

Remind students that a biological inheritance only sets the level of risk, or trigger level, for alcoholism.  It does not cause or prevent you from having a problem with alcohol.

           

Suggested Assignments

  1. Review the following web sites and write a report explaining the contents:  http://www.intox.com/Drink_Wheel_F.html and http://www.luminet.net
  2. Watch one of the following movies and answer the questions on the Movie Questionnaire.
    1. "When a Man Loves A Woman" (Meg Ryan)
    2. "Clean and Sober" (Michael Keaton)
    3. "The Outsiders" (Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe)
    4. "Leaving Las Vegas" (Nicholas Cage)
    5. "The Rose" (Bette Midler)
    6. "Drugstore Cowboy" (Matt Dillon)
    7. "Arthur" (Dudley Moore)
    8. "A Star in Born" (Barbara Streisand)
  3. Watch TV commercials and or programs where alcohol is advertised or used and describe the message you receive from the media about alcohol.  Discuss results of the findings in class.
  4. Have students complete the self-test developed by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) to review the role alcohol plays in their lives.

    5. FEEDBACK TO SELF - TEST:

    Any "yes" answer indicates you may be at greater risk for alcoholism.  More than one "yes" answer  may indicate the presence of an alcohol-related problem, and the need for consultation with an        alcoholism professional.

  5. Have the students identify and provide locations of the following:
    1. campus support groups and resources
    2. community/agency groups
    3. toll-free national numbers

 

Resources

Anderson, P. W. Bulletproof your sobriety:  how to find a path of least resistance for solid recovery. Kansas City, MO.  Prepublished edition, 1996.

Coombs, R. H. and Ziedonis, D. Handbook on drug abuse prevention:  a comprehensive strategy to prevent the abuse of alcohol and drugs.   Boston, MA:  Allyn & Bacon, 1995.

Daugherty, R. and O'Bryan, T.  On campus . . . talking about alcohol.  Lexington, KY:  Prevention Research Institute, 1993.

Holstein, M. E., Cohen, W.E., and Seinbroner, P. J. A matter of balance:  personal strategies for alcohol and other drugs.  Ashland, OR:   CNS Publications, 1995.

Shuckit, M. A.  Educating yourself about alcohol and drugs:  a people's primer. New York:  Plenum Press, 1995.