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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2013)
6 vernonia prevention coalition august1 2013 The content on this page is provided by the Vernonia Prevention Coalition Be a Piece of the Puzzle ~ Binge Drinking Going on a bender, drinking to get drunk, getting smashed, sowing his/her wild oats, drinking spree and binge drinking. No matter the term one uses, it is the intent of drinking large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time in order to get drunk. Binge drinking is the most common way alcohol is both enjoyed and abused in many parts of the world occurring during social events. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a “binge” is a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 gram percent or above. In the typical adult, this pattern corresponds to consuming 5 or more drinks (male), or 4 or more drinks (female), in about 2 hours. Interestingly, most people who binge drink are not actually alcohol dependent – they’re not even necessarily problem drinkers. The frequency of binge drinking among men is twice the frequency among women. The age group that most drinkers binge is 18- 34 years. The impact of binge depends on the intensity of the effect of alcohol on the body, not the type of alcohol ingested, and is directly related to the amount consumed. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that is rapidly absorbed from the stomach and small intestine into the bloodstream. Alcohol is produced by the fermentation of yeast, sugars, and starches. Alcohol is metabolized in the liver by enzymes, however, the liver can only metabolize a small amount of alcohol at a time, leaving the excess alcohol to circulate throughout the body. The body continues to absorb alcohol more than 90 minutes after the last sip, so the drinker may not realize right away how it will affect them. The greatest number of binge drinking occurrences for teens is during special events teens attend such as proms and graduations to “celebrate.” While most youth don’t drink, those whom do are more likely to drink 5x’s more per incident than adults. Unfortunately, 1500 teens are killed every year due to underage drinking during special events. Hence the partnership between Vernonia parents and the Vernonia Prevention Coalition to sponsor a ATOD Free Grad Night. Planning is already happening for 2014 and parents of this year grads are encouraged to participate. For youth, 15-24yrs, binge drinking typically results in acute intoxication not allowing the body to process the alcohol. This is compounded in adolescents due to lack of brain development to recognize levels of inebriation. If alcohol is consumed rapidly and in large amounts it can and has lead to coma and death. Local facts: 14% of 8th and 37% 11th graders reported they have participated in binge drinking the last thirty days. Youth still are getting access to alcohol and use is Help light up Vernonia for Christmas The Spirit of Christmas in Vernonia Committee wants to replace our old lights with new LED lights for downtown. Round~up your receipt at Sentry Market during Jamboree Weekend! Look for donation jars around town or donate to Vernonia Area Chamber of Commerce at Wauna Fed. C.U. Contact: VernoniaSpiritofChristmas@googlegroups.com continuing to rise. Unfortunately, for both youth and adults, adverse health effects specifically associated with binge drinking include unintentional injuries (eg, motor vehicle crashes, falls, drowning, hypothermia, and burns), suicide, alcohol poisoning, hypertension, acute myocardial infarction, gastritis, pancreatitis, sexually transmitted diseases, meningitis, and poor control of diabetes. Many consequences of binge drinking have especially high social and economic costs, including interpersonal violence (eg, homicide, assault, domestic violence, rape, and child abuse), fetal alcohol syndrome, unintended pregnancy, child neglect, and lost productivity. According to the Centers for Disease Control, new estimates show that binge drinking is a bigger problem than previously thought. More than 38 million US adults binge drink, about 4 times a month, and the largest number of drinks per binge is on average 8. This behavior greatly increases the chances of getting hurt or hurting others due to car crashes, violence, and suicide. Drinking too much, including binge drinking, causes 80,000 deaths in the US each year and, in 2006 cost the economy $223.5 billion. Binge drinking is a problem in all states, even in states with fewer binge drinkers, because they are binging more often and in larger amounts. According to National Institute of Alcohol Addiction (NIAA), one of the first impacts of drinking is the loss of our brain’s reasoning skills. In an effort to reduce the impact of drinking or binge drinking, you can do several things. Only take a few sips of your drink at a time. Do not drink multiple drinks in an hour by tracking your drinks. • Start with drinking a soda or other non alcoholic drinks • Go out with a friend who doesn’t drink or who has similar low limits in mind. • Don’t drink on an empty stomach. • Limit the amount of money you have on you and leave your credit card at home. • Avoid drinking rounds or shots. • Stay away from alcopops: Alcopops contain a lot of sugar, so they taste and drink like sodas. • Stay busy: Once you remove alcohol as the focus, you’re less likely to drink as much. Adults often binge during festivals and sporting events. Like youth, they also struggle to resist the pressure one can feel from their drinking buddies. According to the NIAA, drinking behavior is influenced by your community and your relationships. Alcohol use in a community is affected by its price and availability. Youth drinking behavior is affected by exposure to alcohol marketing. Youth drinking is also influenced by the drinking behavior of adults; youth often try to behave like young adults, and often get alcohol from adults. Want to be part of the solution to reduce access of alcohol to minors, contact DeAnna Pearl @ (503) 369-7370 or DeAnna@vernonia-or.gov.
