Most college students drink alcohol, and many binge drink. Although wild college nights filled with partying is a memory many adults have, the fact is that some of the behaviors associated with heavy drinking can lead to extremely serious problems, including violence and fatal overdose.
What starts out with an innocent drinking game can quickly turn into a trip to the emergency room. Dangerous drinking games such as vodka eyeballing and power hour should definitely be avoided.
Vodka Eyeballing
Thanks to the crafty Brits, vodka eyeballing has crossed the pond and has spread to American students. Although pouring vodka directly over an open eye does cause rapid intoxication, it can also damage the protective membrane, burning and scaring the cornea. The result? Potential loss of eyesight.
Power Hour
Power hour sounds simple enough — take a shot of beer every minute for one hour. But the fast rise in blood alcohol content assures you’ll be sloppy and sick well before the hour is up. Power Hour modifications include 21 for 21, where a newly legal drinker takes 21 shots of alcohol to celebrate. Many people have died from alcohol poisoning as a result. In 60 Seconds, a timed beer chugging contest, the game doesn’t end until only one person is left standing.
Beer Race
Although some games get participants loaded after one round, others take their toll over the course of an evening. Beer Race is one such game. Participants chug a drink as fast as possible and the “winner” puts the empty cup on his or her own head.
Edward Fortyhands
Doesn’t it sound like a good idea to duct tape two 40-ounce glass bottles to your hands and agree not to take them off until both bottles are gone? No? In Edward Fortyhands, participants then have to smash the glass bottles after drinking them so they can do other things — like go to the bathroom. The results include alcohol-poisoning-level intoxication and bloody lacerations from smashing glass bottles against your hands while you’re drunk.
Beer Pong
Beer Pong, a fast-moving game that features copious amounts of chugging, is a common cause of alcohol poisoning and is implicated in at least one death. According to the Associated Press, first-semester freshmen are at the greatest risk of suffering a fatal alcohol overdose, but that doesn’t mean older, more experienced students won’t fall prey to bad decisions made while drinking. The beer pong overdose death reported by NBC News happened with a 20-year-old student who was with friends, and then passed out at the end of a long night of drinking. Although the coroner did not release her blood alcohol level, he noted that it was “not compatible with life.”
12 Keys Rehab
NBC also reports that college students drink about the same amount as older adults, except that they “save up” their drinks for the weekend. Although the weekly number of drinks consumed might meet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, the total vastly exceeds daily recommended limits of one to two drinks. College-age binge drinking also makes developing alcoholism more likely. What’s worse, early alcoholism often resembles nearly normal behavior.
For more information about alcoholism and the dangers of drinking games, call 12 Keys Rehab now.