Alcohol Education
The Science behind Alcohol
Different drinks have different amounts of alcohol by volume (ABV). The higher the ABV of a drink, the more concentrated the drink is.
Blood alcohol content (BAC) is the amount of alcohol in your blood. Your BAC is influenced by sex at birth, body weight, number of standard drinks consumed, and length of time spent drinking.
American Addiction Centers offers a free, online BAC calculator. You can use this tool to estimate your BAC according to your sex assigned at birth, weight, and drinks consumed.
Alcohol's Biphasic Curve
Alcohol is a known depressant that lowers central functioning. It is the only depressant that also produces a stimulant effect.
The buzzed feeling peaks at a BAC of between .05% and .06%. Once you've reached the depressant level (beyond .1), you will no longer feel the stimulant (buzzed/euphoric) effects of alcohol and will feel the buzzed/dysphoria feeling.
How Alcohol Affects You
Your BAC and tolerance are independent of each other.
Alcohol also enhances what you're feeling in the moment while decreasing your ability to assess risk and consequences. You can have an extremely high BAC even if you don't feel drunk.
- Metabolic tolerance: How the body naturally processes alcohol; what determines BAC.
- Built tolerance: The body's acclimation to regular consumption; the perceived control one has with a certain amount of alcohol in system.
- Environmental tolerance: Regular cues in routine or typical drinking environment yield a higher tolerance.
Signs of Alcohol Poisoning
M: Mental confusion | H: Hypothermia |
U: Unresponsive | E: Erratic breathing |
S: Snoring and gasping for air | L: Loss of consciousness |
T: Throwing up | P: Paleness/blue skin |
The first sign of alcohol poisoning is throwing up. This is an indication that someone has surpassed their body's ability to process alcohol.
When someone is intoxicated and cannot sit up by themselves, use the recovery position to ensure they're safe. Never leave an incapacitated person alone.
The 911 Lifeline Law says a person under 21 won't be charged by the police for possessing or consuming alcohol (even if they are underage) if the person calls 911 because someone might have alcohol poisoning. Safety is always the top priority, and this Texas law reflects that. Call for help if any of the MUST HELP acronym applies.
Tips for Safer Drinking
- Eat a full meal before you start drinking.
- Predetermine the number of drinks you'll have before you start drinking.
- Have a plan to get home safely with a sober driver.
- Keep track of the number of standard drinks you consume.
- Drink water between each alcoholic beverage.
- Remember the only thing that makes you more sober is time.
Alcohol & Consent
At least 50 percent of student sexual assaults involve alcohol (American Addiction Centers, 2022). Incapacitation looks different on every person. Sober, safe sex is the best sex.
Texas law states intoxicated consent can never be given, and Texas Tech's policy states that a person cannot consent to sexual activity when they are incapacitated. TTU defines consent as mutually understandable words or actions, actively communicated both knowingly and voluntarily, that clearly convey permission for a specific activity. Consent can be revoked at any time verbally or nonverbally by clearly communicating to the other partner.
For more information, contact Title IX.
Resources
Texas Tech Resources |
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Texas Tech Crisis HelpLine 806.742.5555 | The Texas Tech Crisis HelpLine provides 24/7/365 assistance for students experiencing suicidal thoughts, mental health crises, sexual assault, and interpersonal violence. |
Raider Ride |
(806) 742-RIDE (7433) or use TapRide app on App Store or Google Play. Offers free transportation in Lubbock to or from the university with a TTU ID. |
The Center for Collegiate Recovery Communities | The Center provides students in recovery with an abstinence-based program where students can flourish in recovery as they attain educational goals, including advanced degrees. Based on a psychosocial model that captures the resilient and strength-based qualities of recovery, the Center provides support and services for students. |
RISE Workshops | RISE provides free workshops for students, staff, and faculty on a variety of subjects, including Alcohol & Other Drugs. |
Raider Restart | Raider Restart is a required course covering substance use in which students are usually referred from the Office of Student Conduct. This program is designed to provide individualized education for students about substance use and the impacts of alcohol and other drugs on one's health, wellness, and academic success. |
Raider Recharge | Raider Recharge is a voluntary, one-on-one wellness coaching program free to all TTU students. This meeting is individualized to meet the needs of the student and focuses on personal growth through discussion, self-reflection, and interactive activities. |
The Center for Collegiate Recovery Communities | The Center provides students in recovery with an abstinence-based program where students can flourish in recovery as they attain educational goals, including advanced degrees. Based on a psychosocial model that captures the resilient and strength-based qualities of recovery, the Center provides supports and services for students. |
Student Counseling Center | Licensed mental health care providers offer individual, couple, and group counseling, or students can independently care for themselves at the MindaSpa. Licensed therapists and psychologists can screen for use and abuse concerns. |
Student Health Services | Provides students with healthcare needs from Urgent Care to a Full Service Pharmacy on site. |
Counseling and Addiction Recovery Sciences | The Counseling and Addiction Recovery Sciences (CARS) degree at Texas Tech prepares you for a career in Human Services and serves as a strong foundation for graduate coursework in counseling, couple, marriage, and family therapy, addiction counseling, and other helping fields. |
Community, Family, and Addiction Sciences | The CFAS department offers a minor in community, family, and addiction sciences (CFAS) that provides a basic understanding of family systems, addiction, recovery, and human services. It is designed for students who are interested in counseling, human services, or nonprofit administration. |
Voices for Change | Voices for Change is an online course designed to engage learners in various topics while encouraging thoughtful decision making. You can view a preview of the modules here. This is a shareable preview link and viewing the modules will not count toward module completion. |
Celebration of Recovery | Open all recovery meeting hosted by the Center for Collegiate Recovery Communities every Thursday. |
Community Resources |
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Alcoholics Anonymous | Nonprofessional, self-supporting, multiracial, and apolitical international fellowship. Lubbock 24 hour hotline: 806.741.8780. |
Good Day Psychiatry | Good Day Psychiatry provides compassionate psychiatric care wherein individuals can feel safe, heard, understood, and respected with services like psychiatric assistance, substance use, disordered eating, life transitions, mood disorders, and trauma and PTSD. |
The Ranch at Dove Tree | Collegiate-focused addiction and behavioral health comprehensive treatment and recovery. |
Stages of Recovery | Promotes a foundation of recovery by providing an environment that fosters safety, accountabilty, community and trust. |
Aspire Addiction Recovery Center | Affordable individualized, best practice, drug treatment program guided in the principles of 12-step recovery. |
Oceans Behavioral Hospital Lubbock | Oceans Healthcare helps individuals experiencing depression; anxiety; schizophrenia;
behavioral changes related to Alzheimer's disease or other dementias, medication management
or substance abuse; and other mental health issues. Their treatment plans are unique
to each individual, but common program features include program oversight by Board-certified or Board-eligible psychiatrists, daily monitoring by clinical staff, mental health education, medication education and management, diagnosis and symptom education, daily monitoring with medical physician oversight, and more. |
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Alcohol Treatment Navigator | The Navigator helps adults find alcohol treatment for themselves or an adult loved one. Unlike many other resources you may find online, the Navigator has no commercial sponsors. Instead, it is produced by the leading U.S. agency for scientific research on alcohol and health, the NIAAA. |
Managed Care Center for Addictive/Other Disorders (MCCAOD) | Comprehensive in-and outpatient substance abusetreatment for adults. |
The Way Out Group | Open alcohol anonymous meeting held weekly in person. Audio meetings are available every day at noon and 5:30 P.M. For more information, call 806-626-2830. Meetings are held at 4812 Louisville Ave, Lubbock, TX 79413. |
New Beginnings Group | Open alcohol anonymous meeting held every day of the week at multiple times. For more information, call 806-466-1809. |
National Resources |
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BAC Calculator from American Addiction Centers | Calculate your approximate Blood Alcohol Content by sex assigned at birth, weight, drinks, and time. |
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Alcohol Treatment Navigator | The Navigator helps adults find alcohol treatment for themselves or an adult loved one. Unlike many other resources you may find online, the Navigator has no commercial sponsors. Instead, it is produced by the leading U.S. agency for scientific research on alcohol and health, the NIAAA. |
Managed Care Center for Addictive/Other Disorders (MCCAOD) | Comprehensive in-and outpatient substance abuse treatment for adults. |
SMART Recovery | An alternative to 12-step recovery, SMART Recovery, standing for Self-Management and Recovery Training, is a transformative method of moving from addictive substances and negative behaviors to a life of positive self-regard and willingness to change. |
Al-Anon | Support for families or friends of alcoholics. |
The Association of Recovery in Higher Education | The ARHE is the only association exclusively representing collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) and collegiate recovery communities (CRCs), the faculty and staff who support them, and the students who represent them. ARHE provides the education, resources, and community connection needed to help change the trajectory of recovering student's lives. |
National Institute on Drug Abuse | The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is the largest supporter of the world's research on substance use and addiction. Part of the National Institutes of Health, NIDA conducts and supports biomedical research to advance the science on substance use and addiction and improve individual and public health. |
Risk Intervention & Safety Education
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Address
Drane Hall, Suite 247, Box 43099 -
Phone
806.742.2110 -
Email
rise@ttu.edu