Marquette complies with federal, state and local laws regulating the possession, use and sale of alcoholic beverages and controlled substances. Violation of these laws is prohibited on and off campus, and engaging in such activity may result in disciplinary sanctions, up to and including suspension or expulsion of the student or termination of employment regardless of the outcome of court proceedings. Marquette is committed to maintaining a drug-free campus and work environment.
Alcohol is the predominant drug used on college campuses, including Marquette.
Alcohol is a drug: an ingested substance other than food that changes how a person’s
body and mind function.
Alcohol contains ethanol, which has immediate and long-term effects on the body and mind, including:
- impaired judgment and coordination;
- increased aggression;
- impaired higher mental functions;
- depression of the central nervous system;
- decreased motor coordination; and
- impaired vision.
In very high doses, alcohol consumption leads to respiratory depression and death.
Prolonged abuse of alcohol can lead to alcoholism, malnutrition and cirrhosis of the liver.
Missing classes or work and poor performance are associated with drinking or other drug use.
Drinking alcohol while taking prescription or illicit drugs can be extremely dangerous.
What are the effects of Alcohol?
Any consumption of alcohol affects your body.
How much you drink, over what period of time and how regularly you drink determine how you experience the effects of drinking alcohol.
If you choose to drink, know how much you are consuming. A 12-ounce beer, a four-ounce glass of wine and a shot or mixed drink containing one ounce of 80-proof hard liquor have the same amount of alcohol, and it can take your liver up to 90 minutes to process this amount.
Beware of situations in which you may consume more than you realize:
- beer cups that hold more than 12 ounces of beer;
- “specialty” drinks or shots made with several types of alcohol; each serving contains far more alcohol than one standard drink; and/or
- friends who top off your drink (sometimes without your knowledge), making it harder for you to track how much you’ve actually consumed
Mixed drinks and open containers also pose a higher-than-usual risk that someone can slip a drug into your beverage. When date rape drugs are used, they are often dropped into glasses or drinks while the victims are not watching.
See how to protect yourself from date rape drugs and information about drug-facilitated sexual assault.).
- talking more
- losing inhibitions
- becoming more relaxed
- becoming thirsty, which makes it more likely you’ll have another drink
After several drinks ...
- ability to evaluate situations and people is impaired, including the ability to make
safe choices about where you are, who you are with and what you are doing
- people sometimes behave in ways that they feel bad or guilty about afterward
After a few more drinks ...
- cognitive functioning is blocked, which impairs decision-making
- coordination and control of your body are impaired
The extent of your impairment is related to how much alcohol is in your bloodstream. The ratio is known as your blood-alcohol concentration. Your BAC and how you react to alcohol are dependent in part on your body weight, rate of consumption, presence of food in your stomach, type of drink and gender. Carbonated beverages speed up absorption. Women should be especially careful not to measure their alcohol intake against that of men. In general, the same quantity of alcohol will have a greater effect on women than on men.
At a BAC of 0.02 percent
- Reaction time is slowed; it is difficult to concentrate on two things simultaneously; inhibitions are slightly lowered.
At a BAC of 0.04 to 0.05
- Judgment begins to be impaired; emotions are intensified; you may feel warm and relaxed; behavior may become exaggerated, making you talk louder or act bolder than usual.
At a BAC of 0.06 to 0.08
- Driving ability is impaired; you may believe you are functioning better than you actually are; speech may be slowed; ability to see and hear is clearly diminished; judgment is affected so it’s difficult to decide whether to continue drinking; ability to evaluate sexual situations is impaired.
At a BAC of 0.11 to 0.20
- Motor skills are markedly impaired, as are judgment and memory; some people become aggressive or belligerent; there is an increased risk of accidentally injuring yourself; blackouts are likely, as is getting sick; nausea and vomiting may occur.
At a BAC of 0.25 to 0.35
- Thought processes, emotions and reactions slow; the system is flooded with alcohol;
there is an increased risk of choking on vomit; you may pass out and be difficult to
awaken (this can occur at lower BAC also); blackouts occur.
At a BAC of 0.4 to 0.5
- The person may be barely conscious, in a stupor or very disagreeable. A person can pass out, choke on his or her own vomit, slip into a coma and die. The nerve centers controlling your heartbeat and respiration are slowing down.
Alcohol overdose is a medical emergency and could be life-threatening. If you suspect someone has overdosed, call 911 immediately. Never let him or her sleep it off.
- unconsciousness or semiconsciousness
- slow respiration: eight or fewer breaths per minute
- cold, clammy, pale or bluish skin
- strong odor of alcohol
- These symptoms represent an emergency. Call 911 immediately.
Continued use of alcohol can lead to dependence. With physical dependence, sudden
cessation of alcohol intake is likely to produce withdrawal symptoms, including:
- severe anxiety;
- hallucinations; and
Long-term effects of consuming large quantities of alcohol, especially when combined with poor nutrition, can lead to permanent damage to vital organs such as the brain and the liver.
You’ve heard about the dangers of secondhand smoke (what inhaling smoke from someone
else’s cigarettes can do to your body). What about drinking? Even if you stay sober, someone else’s drinking can be your problem if you have to:
- physically support or care for a drunk friend
- listen to intoxicated friends spill your deepest secrets — or their own
- pay a fine for being at an underage drinking party
- be harassed, screamed at or assaulted
- lose sleep because drunken people are being rowdy
- clean up or walk around someone’s vomit
This is defined by the Surgeon General as five or more drinks in one sitting for males and four or more drinks at one sitting for females. Binge drinking has continued largely unabated on U.S. campuses according to findings of a survey (Core Institute Drug and Alcohol Survey, 2005) of more than 33,000 students at 53 universities and colleges.
Heavy alcohol use among college students is a result of many factors:
- Students who binge tend to perceive that alcohol is central to the university social scene.
- More students come to college with experience drinking alcohol.
- Alcohol on college campuses is abundant and easy to access. College students are the target audience of advertising by liquor distributors.
- It is not uncommon for college students to positively reinforce peer heavy alcohol use.
Why is heavy alcohol use a concern on college campuses?
- There are known risk factors, developmentally, for college students.
- College students, as a whole, are less concerned about the risks of heavy alcohol use.
- The consequences of heavy alcohol use include vandalism, aggressive behavior, sexual assault, injuries, academic difficulties, relationship problems, abuse and dependence, and accidents.
- All college students are affected by the second-hand effects of high-risk drinking.
Alcohol and other drug use and binge drinking affect student health and well-being and academic achievement in the following ways:
- Unplanned sexual activity
- Violent campus crimes
- Driving under the influence of alcohol/other drugs
- Accidental injury
- Performing poorly on a test/project
Alcohol/Date Rape Correlations
Since 2006, Wisconsin has recognized alcohol as the no. 1 date rape drug.
Nationally, the majority of acquaintance rapes are planned, and assailants take advantage of their victims’ use of alcohol and other drugs, which slow reflexes and impair the victim’s ability to recognize a potentially dangerous situation.