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Milwaukee Area Technical College’s vice-president of student services, Dr. Trevor Kubatzke, has said he will sign off on a policy to eliminate alcohol at all events run by student organizations. Though students have spoken out against the “No Alcohol” policy, Kubatze argues that alcohol does not contribute to student events and hence should be eliminated:

When we’re planning events that are educational in venue, or a learning experience, alcohol doesn’t bring anything to the table. We shouldn’t be planning events where the focus is alcohol so, where we are today, there really isn’t a need to have alcohol at our student events.

Kubatze’s argument seems to be based on one school of thought about alcohol. However, he does not comment on other–or better–avenues to imbue his students with a sense of responsibility. Though college, we would argue, is about acquiring knowledge, it is also about acquiring life skills.

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A new study recently reported in Science Daily indicates that the mixer used in an alcoholic drink can increase the individual's blood-alcohol level as well as his degree of intoxication: 

Alcohol Mixed with Diet Drinks May Increase Intoxication More than Alcohol and Regular Drinks 

Feb. 5.  – An individual's breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) following alcohol intake is influenced by several factors, including food. While it is known that food delays the stomach emptying, thus reducing BrAC, only recently has the role of nonalcoholic drink mixers used with alcohol been explored as a factor influencing BrAC. A new comparison of BrACs of alcohol consumed with an artificial sweetener versus alcohol consumed with a sugared beverage has found that mixing alcohol with a diet soft drink can result in a higher BrAC.

Results will be published in the April 2013 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research…

"More attention needs to be paid to how alcohol is being consumed in the 'real world,'" said Cecile A. Marczinski, assistant professor of psychology at Northern Kentucky University. She referenced an earlier field study of bar patrons. "Researchers found that, one, individuals who reported consuming alcohol with diet beverages had the highest BrACs, as compared to all other bar patrons, and two, that women tended to be more frequent consumers of diet mixers with their alcohol. These good naturalistic observations give researchers many ideas to explore in a controlled laboratory setting."

Dennis L. Thombs, professor and chair of the department of behavioral and community health at UNT Health Science Center, was the author of the field study referenced by Marczinski. "Research on artificially sweetened drink mixers is new," he said. "I believe this might be only the third study published to date on this issue, and the findings are quite consistent with ours."

"I am really interested in drinking and driving as a problem, so I wanted to know if the simple choice of mixer could be the factor that puts a person above or below the legal limit," added Marczinski. "I also wanted to determine if any BrAC difference would be something that subjects would notice, since this has implications for safe drinking practices, including decisions to drive."

Study authors had 16 participants (8 females, 8 males) attend three sessions where they received one of three doses — 1.97 ml/kg vodka mixed with 3.94 ml/kg Squirt, 1.97 ml/kg vodka mixed with 3.94 ml/kg diet Squirt, and a placebo beverage — in random order. The participants' BrACs were recorded, as well as their self-reported ratings of subjective intoxication, fatigue, impairment, and willingness to drive. Their objective performance was assessed using a cued go/no-go reaction time task.

"Alcohol consumed with a diet mixer results in higher BrACs as compared to the same amount of alcohol consumed with a sugar-sweetened mixer," said Marczinski. "The subjects were unaware of this difference, as measured by various subjective ratings including feelings of intoxication, impairment, and willingness to drive. Moreover, their behavior was more impaired when subjects consumed the diet mixer."

When asked why mixing alcohol with a diet drink appears to elevate BrACs, Thombs explained that the stomach seems to treat sugar-sweetened beverages like food, which delays the stomach from emptying. "The best way to think about these effects is that sugar-sweetened alcohol mixers slow down the absorption of alcohol into bloodstream," he said. "Artificially sweetened alcohol mixers do not really elevate alcohol intoxication. Rather, the lack of sugar simply allows the rate of alcohol absorption to occur without hindrance."

Both Marczinski and Thombs were concerned about the risk that diet mixers can pose for alcohol-impaired driving. "In this study, subjects felt the same whether they drank the diet or regular mixed alcoholic beverage," said Marczinski. "However, they were above the limit of .08 when they consumed the diet mixer, and below it when they drank the regular mixed beverage. Choices to drink and drive, or engage in any other risky behavior, often depend on how people feel, rather than some objective measurement of impairment. Now alcohol researchers who are interested in prevention have something new to consider when developing or modifying intervention programs."

Thombs agreed. "Research on alcohol mixers is critically important for improving serving practices in on-premise drinking establishments," he said. "About one-half of all drinking and driving incidents are estimated to occur in persons leaving these settings. This type of research can provide guidance to policy-makers interested in improving the safety of bars and nightclubs."

"We have an obesity crisis in this country," added Marczinski. "As such, individuals tend to be conscious about how many calories they are consuming, and they might think that mixing alcohol with diet drinks is a healthy choice. Yet the average reader needs to know that while mixing alcohol with a diet beverage mixer may limit the amount of calories being consumed, higher BrACs are a much more significant health risk than a few extra calories."

"In natural drinking settings, such as bars and nightclubs, young women are significantly more likely than young men to order drinks mixed with diet cola," said Thombs. "I suspect this occurs because young women tend to be more weight conscious than young men. Thus, from a public health perspective, artificially sweetened alcohol mixers may place young women at greater risk for a range of problems associated with acute alcohol intoxication."

Don't drink diet drinks and drive…

(Thanks to Justin McShane.)
 

DUI BLOG

Connor Buchanan, one of several young men accused of involved in a September 2012 anal alcohol ingestion incident at the University of Tennessee, visited court this week to request from a judge that he not loose his drivers license. Buchanan argued that he needs a license to get to school and work, and that he would prefer to enter an alcohol education program instead of loosing his driving privileges.

Though Buchanan asked the judge to sentence him to an alcohol education course instead of loosing his drivers license, he left court with a fine of .50. Furthermore, if he does not have any further legal problems in the next 30 days, the charges will be dropped.

It is only with more significant institutional commitments to alcohol education that we will promote more responsible drinking in the United States. Readers, what do you think of this Tennessee judge’s decision for Mr. Buchanan?

Read the entire article here.

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Great Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron has proposed a new minimum price per unit for alcohol. Supporters of the new law, which will propose minimum prices of 40p, 45p, or 50p per unit, argue that the new pricing measure will positively affect binge drinkers and the people around them. However, those against the proposed legislation argue that the research supporting the initiative is inconclusive and assumes that the strain on heavy drinkers’ wallets will be enough to discourage binge drinking. David Cameron continues to push ahead with the initiative.

Click here for more information. 

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Agents with the North Carolina Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement teamed up with Greenville Police over Halloween. A sergeant with Greenville Police told The East Carolinian at ECU that Halloween night went better this year than it has in recent years. He says that with Halloween falling in the middle of the week, less people were downtown on the annual night for costumes and parties.

The police sergeant says that the numbers were down this year in Downtown Greenville, North Carolina. Nonetheless, agents and officers dished out more than 70 citations for alcohol-related offenses. Authorities released the Halloween totals this week. More than 100 people were charged with some sort of offense, with 73 cases involving allegations of alcohol offenses.

Leading the way were citations for underage possession of alcohol, which numbered 40. Twenty two people were charged for underage consumption and 11 people were charged with open container violations.

The Greenville Police sergeant says that many students found other things to do than drink alcohol this year. However, added security measures were put in place for the downtown area. Officers blocked off the area with barricades and officers were on patrol. A security checkpoint was also set up for the area.

State officials also released information about the statewide Booze It and Lose It” increased drunk driving campaign that ran from October 26 through Halloween. Statewide, law enforcement agencies arrested 729 drivers on suspicion of driving while impaired in North Carolina.

Pitt county agencies conducted 33 saturation patrols and set up 12 DWI checkpoints in conjunction with the campaign. Pitt County law enforcement agencies charged 14 drivers over the age of 21 with DWI and 17 people were charged with underage DUI in the campaign.

Source: The East Carolinian, “Citation numbers released for Halloween ’12,” Melanie Jock, Nov. 8, 2012.

Greenville DUI Attorney Blog | North Carolina Underage Drinking Lawyer | Pitt County First DUI Law Firm

We extend our condolences to the Washington State University community and the family of Kenneth Hummel, who died this weekend from alcohol poisoning.

The 18-year old Hummel had a blood alcohol reading of 0.40 when he died early Saturday morning. Police found him unconscious in his dorm room, after his peers had called the police.

In the wake of campus alcohol courses, peer intervention groups, extended campus counseling, and more, it is sometimes difficult to understand how nearly 2,000 students die annually from alcohol related injuries. Within the next week, we will begin posting testimonials from college students that answer the questions, “What is the single largest determinant in your drinking? And what most deters you from drinking to excess?”

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Eleven Rice University students were hospitalized during this year’s annual “Night of Decadence,” a student-organized Halloween party hosted by a dormitory. The event has occurred since the 1970s and is a student run party, and students of  legal age are allowed to drink.

Rice, like many colleges, has struggled to change it’s alcohol culture, and even experimented with a hard liquor ban earlier this year. And yet, in sending eleven students to the hospital in the course of an annual Halloween party, eleven students were hospitalized. Rice officials said,

That is a large number. It is larger than it has been historically by a large amount actually, so we are concerned about that. We re-evaluate constantly. We are in constant dialogue with our student leaders to find the most effective ways to keep our students safe, to keep our students healthy. (And) to make sure that they have the proper information to make appropriate choices.

The ages of the students have not been released, and we will not use this as a forum for speculation. However, it is difficult not to recognize that increased restraint might not necessarily lead to responsibility.

For more information on the story, click here.

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College students all across the country can be brought up on charges related to underage drinking and other types of student offenses. From time to time, the national media gets its hooks into allegations that arise in college dorms or at frat houses. Recently, allegations out of Tennessee grabbed such headlines after a 20-year-old male student was hospitalized with a blood alcohol level measuring over 0.40 percent.

News reports suggested that a group of students at a fraternity at the University of Tennessee had used an enema containing alcohol. Law enforcement claims that their investigation revealed some suspicion that fraternity members had sought to ingest alcohol through the use of a rubber tube.

Authorities cited twelve members of the fraternity with underage drinking. And one student reportedly is facing a disorderly conduct offense as a result of the police investigation.

But the student who reportedly was hospitalized says that the national media frenzy about the alleged use of the rubber tube as a form of an alcohol enema is simply not true. He says that the false accusations have harmed him.

The young man’s lawyer says that some members of the fraternity may have participated in what is called a “Tour de Franzia,” a game of drinking from several bags of wine, according to CNN. The student at the focus of media reports says that the claims that students used rubber tubes as a form of an alcohol enema are completely untrue.

Ingesting alcohol in such a fashion can be extremely dangerous. The idea is discouraged as it can easily lead to death. Alcohol molecules are absorbed quickly –without the protection of enzymes in the stomach that protect humans. The enzymes reduce the toxicity of the alcohol, an Atlanta doctor told CNN.

Source: News Channel WCTI 12, “UT student denies using alcohol enema,” CNN News, Oct. 2, 2012

Greenville DUI Attorney Blog | North Carolina Underage Drinking Lawyer | Pitt County First DUI Law Firm

A nearly-fatal alcohol enema incident last week at a fraternity at the University of Tennessee has led to greater curiosity regarding college students’ alcohol consumption habits. While it is no secret that more than 1,800 students die annually due to binge drinking, this incident forces officials to consider other ways students might be chasing a buzz. Irresponsible behaviors such as ingesting alcohol through the rectum or combining alcohol with prescription drugs increase the effects of alcohol and can pose even greater risks than binge drinking. The unfortunate accident at the University of Tennessee indicates the heinous consequences of irresponsible consumption, and indicates that students must be taught to drink responsibly from someone other than their peers.

Read more information here.

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As I've mentioned previously, "distracted driving" ­­ — talking on cell phones, texting, eating, reading maps, etc. ­­ — has repeatedly been shown to be at least as dangerous to human life as drunk driving. See, for example, Drunk Drivers vs Distracted Drivers and Drunk Driving vs Distracted, Drowsy or Drugged Driving.

So why have penalties become so severe for DUI ­­ and yet remain only a slap on the wrist for distracted driving?

Mothers Against Drunk Driving has been very successful over the years in pressuring legislatures and courts to pass increasingly harsh laws and penalties. They've done this by focusing on "the slaughter on our highways".  But…are they truly focused on saving lives?  Or is there an underlying agenda?

Hint:  If you look at their website, you will find MADD's "Mission Statement":  “The mission of Mothers Against Drunk Driving is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking.”   Note #1: Saving lives from distracted driving is not a concern — only with drunk driving.  Note #2: The concern for underage drinking is unrelated to driving or victims.

In other words, MADD's concern is, as it was in the Prohibition era many years ago, not "slaughter on the highways" but…. alcohol.  

And in today's news….

State's Distracted Driving Law Comes Under Fire

Fredersicksburg, VA.  Oct. 3 –Spotsylvania County’s top prosecutor says problems with distracted-driving laws remind him of the old days when drunken driving wasn’t taken seriously enough.

DUI laws eventually were stiffened, but only after deadly crashes piled up, said Bill Neely, Spotsylvania’s veteran commonwealth’s attorney.

The same thing might be happening in Virginia with distracted driving, he said.

In recent years distracted driving has become a target for federal transportation authorities. They say the problem, primarily text messaging and calling, is dangerous and growing. Last year, the National Transportation Safety Board asked for a full ban.

There are 39 states that ban texting while driving. Ten states have laws against drivers using cellphones, which are the primary target because so many drivers use them to talk on or text while behind the wheel…

Virginia’s law against drivers using handheld devices is a secondary offense that carries a fine. It’s also a secondary offense for novice drivers to use a handheld device. A secondary violation means police cannot bring the charge unless the suspect driver is stopped for another offense…

More than 3,000 people nationwide died and another 419,000 were injured in distracted-driving crashes in 2010, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

A 2009 Virginia Tech study determined that the crash risk increases 23 times for distracted drivers. The study included drivers doing such things as texting, talking on a cellphone, reaching for objects and eating.

Neely wonders if people understand how serious the problem is.

“You’re just as distracted as if you were drunk” when you text and drive, Neely said.

Just as dangerous as drunk driving — but only a fine.  And the sounds of silence from MADD……

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