For some students, going out with friends may involve alcohol. For others, it may not. According to the 2017 National College Health Assessment survey, 28% of UT students chose not to drink any alcohol the last time they socialized with friends or partied. Out of UT students that do choose to drink, 60% report that they do so moderately by having four or less drinks per occasion. The tips on this page can help reduce the potential for harm while choosing to drink.
Taking some risks is an expected and normal part of the college experience. Setting guidelines can help prevent problems that could have lasting impacts on your life and those of your friends. The goal is to reduce the likelihood of harm to yourself or others by:
UT students use a variety of simple techniques to reduce potential harm associated with drinking. Research shows that the more techniques used, the less likely a person will experience negative consequences (i.e., hangovers, injury, regret, memory loss, harm to self and others, etc.). Using three or more of these techniques is a best practice for reducing alcohol-related risk:
A "standard" drink is any drink that contains about 0.6 fluid ounces or 14 grams of pure alcohol. Below are different drink sizes, each containing approximately the same amount of alcohol and counting as a single standard drink. The examples serve as starting point for comparison.
Binge drinking, or high-risk drinking, is a pattern of alcohol consumption that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08% or higher. This typically corresponds to a person drinking 4-5 or more drinks in about 2 hours. Binge drinking puts the drinker and others around them at risk of negative consequences such as alcohol overdose, injury, health problems, drinking and driving incidents or alcohol dependence. When making decisions about drinking, take precautions and make informed decisions to reduce the likelihood of harm for yourself and those around you.
Source: NIAAA Newsletter (NIH Publication No. 04-5346, Number 3, page 3). (Winter 2004). Bethesda, MD: NIAAA Office of Research Translation and Communications, NIAAA, NIH, DHHS.
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