Welcome to CalSO Postscript
This newsletter features stories for and by Berkeley undergraduates. If you've attended CalSO, you've already learned a bit about the campus. Postscript hopes to expand your knowledge about some of the opportunities and advantages available to you.

Postscript Fall 2006 Stories
Welcome to Cal! | Peer Education: GenEq Resource Center | I "heart" consent | Writer's block: a Berkeley tutor's experience | Campus Politics: the ASUC and me | Community Service: Hurricane Katrina

Postscript Fall 2005 Stories
Dear incoming freshmen | Diversity in Berkeley | Drinking 101 | Research: Expand your undergraduate experience | Paris, France: Fall 2003

Now unlike the title of this article, I can't promise I am any authority on alcohol. Although I always thought bartending might be a glamorous side job to pay one's way through Graduate School (Coyote Ugly anyone?), I am far from a specialist on drinking. I do, nevertheless, have one thing going for me: I have seen two important sides of this intoxicating issue.

Seeing as how I am embarking on my third year here at Cal, I have been personally privy to the alcohol atmosphere and also have lived vicariously through others' adventures. Impromptu parties with extravagant alcohol tabs, shindigs in The City [what we call San Francisco], Thursday night costume bashes, Welcome Week extravaganzas...I've seen and heard a lot. And just like the expansiveness of opportunities to consume or not consume alcohol in Berkeley, there is no one of type of person who chooses or decides against drinking, and no one response to alcohol's affects. I have met a whole range of personality types: social drinkers, abstainers, light, moderate, and heavy weights, those who drink to unwind on weekends, those who drink once in a blue moon to feel uninhibited, those who use alcohol to avoid everyday problems, and everything in between. Bottom line, alcohol and individuals who decide to drink or not to drink will be present when you come to Cal.

On the flipside, I spent my sophomore year as a University Health Services Health Worker, and am currently a coordinator for the program. A Health Worker is a student who stays in a specific living center (a res hall, fraternity, co-op, etc.,), and he or she addresses physical and mental health topics. Of course "addresses" is a broad term. We handle immediate problems (a sprained ankle or overwhelming stress), and also create health education literature, as well as programs and activities to encourage and empower health understanding in the UCB student population. That all translates, among other things, to a lot of alcohol awareness efforts and inevitably, alcohol intervention.

My goal as a Health Worker is not to prevent or get someone to stop drinking altogether (drinking is a personal choice!), but instead to reduce the harm someone can incur. The most common question I get from people is: "Have you ever had to clean up someone's puke?" Well...yes. But I'd done that even before I was a Health Worker. I have dealt with vomit, hangovers, black-outs, dramatic mood swings, alcohol related accidents, and in even more serious situations, 911 calls. I've experienced occasions in which an individual's excessive or prolonged intake has led to physical and personal (academic and financial) problems.

So now that I've laid my credentials out on the table, what words of wisdom do I have? From all my familiarity on the subject I've got more than just a couple of things to share. Whether you're an expert, or just now getting informed, hopefully my little speech will educate and prepare you for situations you or someone you know may be faced with.

First of all, alcohol is a drug, just the same as speed, ecstasy, or anything else. Not only that, but alcohol is a depressant. It might seem like drinking makes people more relaxed, outgoing, and active, but this is because alcohol is reducing the activity of the brain. Anything that lowers brain activity is a downer. Alcohol enters the bloodstream through the stomach and intestine. The more alcohol in the blood, the greater the impact on your mood and behavior. Once in the bloodstream it is carried to other parts of the body really quickly. In fact, it reaches the brain almost immediately. Alcohol stays in the body until it is broken down by the liver and eventually leaves the body through breath, sweat and urine. FYI: Since the first stop for both food and alcohol is the stomach, eating something means the alcohol won't enter the bloodstream as quickly as on an empty stomach.

So what have you heard concerning alcohol? Do these myths sound familiar?
Beer doesn't have as much alcohol as hard liquor...
Oh really? A 12-ounce bottle of beer has the same amount of alcohol as a standard shot of 80 proof liquor (i.e., vodka, rum or tequila) or five ounces of wine. This counts for mixed or straight drinks! Hey did you know switching up drinks (changing from beer to wine for instance) doesn't increase the buzz affect? The thing that makes people drunk is the alcohol.

Girls can or should drink to keep up with the guys...
Women tend to be smaller than men and have less water to dilute alcohol, and so even when a man and a woman drink the same amount, the alcohol will usually have a greater impact on the woman. But this holds true for any small body type. Oh, and by the way, binge drinking is defined by gender lines: five drinks in a row per occasion for males and four for females.

I can sober up quickly if I have to...
It takes three hours to eliminate the alcohol content of two drinks, depending on your body weight. Nothing can speed up this process-not even coffee or cold showers! Oh, and putting somebody who is drunk into a shower to sober them up is dangerous! The wet and slippery surfaces make it very easy for a person to fall and hurt you or themselves.

If you make the decision to drink, here are some safe partying tips, courtesy of the Gender and Equity Resource Center:
1. Always watch your drink being poured to make sure that you know what is being put in it.

2. Never let your drink out of your sight-don't leave it alone and don't accept drinks from people you don't know or haven't seen poured. Buy a new drink rather than drink from one you're not sure about-your safety is worth a few dollars.

3. Maintain a buddy system in which you or one of your friends stays sober to help people if necessary.

4. Have a back up way to get home-have cab money, a bus sticker, a sober friend to drive, or call BearWALK (510/642-WALK-program that in your cell phone!) to have a someone escort you home.

5. Watch how much and what you drink-not all types of drinks have the same amount of alcohol and will get you drunk much faster than others. A shot of 151, for example, has twice as much alcohol as a shot of rum. Know and stick to your limits.

6. Before you start drinking, know your sexual and relationship boundaries, communicate them clearly, and stick to them (i.e., what you are looking for, what you want to do, what you don't want to do, and how you will explain these boundaries to others).

Although there are long-term consequences of excessive drinking, here are some immediate risks and ways to reduce the possibility of getting hurt.

Now let's play the recognize-an-overdose game! An overdose is the misuse or overuse of any medication or drug, including alcohol. Look for the symptoms:
• Vital signs are affected (i.e., irregular heart beat)

• Severe vomiting-especially if there's blood or bile

• Loss of consciousness and non-responsive to shouts or when poked, shaken, or pinched

• Convulsions/Tremors

• Hallucinations/Paranoia

• Slow, shallow, labored, or difficult breathing

• Eyes roll back/abnormal pupil size

• Other signs such as: weakness, bluish fingernails and lips, clammy hands, decreased alertness

So what do you do? If you suspect an overdose have somebody call 911. Next, put the person on their side so that if they do vomit, they will not choke. You must stay with the person until medical help arrives. Make sure to monitor pulse, respiration and those signs of overdose. If you can, try to find out how much they've had to drink, what they had to drink, and if they took any other substance (i.e. medication).

All in all, whether or not you choose to drink, it's always good to be knowledgeable and aware of situations that may involve you, or be happening around you. Drinking is definitely an individual decision, but even so, it does have health consequences. To drink or not to drink is not my place to say...but I can tell you to enjoy yourself regardless of your choice, and stay safe your first year here at Cal! Cheers!

--Jordana Anderson, Junior, Intended English major,
Education and Spanish minors
From San Diego, California

Drinking consequences
The drinking age in California is 21 years of age. If you choose to drink alcohol whether you are over 21 or under there are consequences to consider.

From a University perspective, minor students found drinking on campus:
• will be required to dedicate additional time to alcohol education
• could be referred to alcohol and other drug counseling
• may face other sanctions including suspension
• can have a conduct record that follows them for five (5) years, impacting future admissions to graduate school or confidential jobs

From a criminal perspective, underage students arrested for possession of alcohol face:
• a court date
• a criminal record
• a monetary fine
• drivers license suspension for at least one (1) year

Driving Under the Influence (DUI) of alcohol will get you all of the above, plus:
• $2000 dollars or more in court expenses
• lawyer's fees
• community service or jail time

From a safety perspective, you should know that each year alcohol related incidents cause*:
• 1400 college student deaths
• 500,000 college student injuries
• 600,000 college student assaults
• 70,000 college student sexual assaults or date rapes

Academically, 25% of college students report that the consequences of drinking include*:
• missing classes
• falling behind on school work
• doing poorly on exams
• receiving lower grades

--Stacy Holguin, Manager
Judicial Affairs and Compliance, Office of Student Development

*Source: College Drinking, Changing the Culture, NIAAA, 2002

Postscript Fall 2006 Stories
Welcome to Cal! | Peer Education: GenEq Resource Center | I "heart" consent | Writer's block: a Berkeley tutor's experience | Campus Politics: the ASUC and me | Community Service: Hurricane Katrina

Postscript Fall 2005 Stories
Dear incoming freshmen | Diversity in Berkeley | Drinking 101 | Research: Expand your undergraduate experience | Paris, France: Fall 2003