Health Tools and Resources

Do you know where you stand with alcohol use? Evaluate yourself by assessing your drinking behaviors through the use of these great on-line tools:

Alcohol Screening
How much is too much? If you consume alcoholic beverages, it's important to know whether your drinking patterns are safe, risky or harmful. This site can help you find out. You can assess your own drinking, learn about alcohol and health issues and find resources for additional help. Take the Test-Assess Yourself!

Alcohol Calculator
The alcohol calculator assesses the amount of money you spend on alcohol and the calories consumed. Plus learn how gender, body weight, food and what, how much and how fast you drink can influence your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC).

Evaluate Your Drinking
Fill out this questionnaire regarding your alcohol use and receive instant responses about how much your input stands statistically in relation to the general population, plus some specific feedback about the answers you entered.

Drinking Your Money Away?
Try keeping a monthly drinking journal to track how much money you spend on drinking. Just think of what you could have instead of empty bottles.

Interactive Body
Trace the flow of alcohol through your body and see how it affects your organs and systems.

Booze Truths
How much do you really know about what drinking does to your body? Test your knowledge with a True or False Quiz.

Search Go Ask Alice's Q & A database that houses numerous alcohol and other health-related questions and answers. Alice is produced by Columbia University's Health Education Program.

Have any questions on alcohol use and abuse? Check out College Drinking Prevention for the most frequently asked questions.

Get facts and information on alcohol issues such as binge drinking, under age drinking and alcohol advertising. Plus find alcohol issues related to health and parenting.

Look into these sites for the latest information and research regarding alcohol use and abuse.

• This Week!
• Current Alcohol & Other Drug News
• Join Together

Get all the alcohol related information you need from these fact sheets.

The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth offers a variety of fact sheets focused on underage drinking.

The Alcohol Policies Project provides a wide variety of fact sheets ranging in topics from women and alcohol to alcohol advertising.

Alcoholism: What You Need to Know About offers a wide selection of articles, classifieds and newsletters.

High Risk Drinking is defined as:

• Chugging, drinking games, shots (drinking anything out of a punch bowl, trough, hose or funnel).
  
  
• Drinking to get drunk (intoxicated).
  
  
• Driving after drinking or riding with someone under the influence.
  
  
• Drinking too much too fast.
  
  
• Going to parties where people drink too much.
  
  
• Not knowing what is in your glass or leaving it unattended.
  
  
• Mixing alcohol with medications or illegal drugs.

Binge drinking
Many college students drink because of peer pressure, academic stress or to simply get drunk. So how much alcohol is too much? When students drink excessively in a short time period, or "binge" drink, they put themselves and others at risk. This type of drinking can result in vomiting, loss of sensory perception and blackouts.

College Drinking Statistics
Did you know that 159,000 of today's first-year college students will drop out of school next year because of alcohol or other drug-related reasons?...Or that one night of heavy drinking can impair your ability to think abstractly for up to 30 days? Explore Facts on Tap for more information on how drinking too much can seriously affect your dreams of graduating from college.

High-Risk Drinking Among College Students
Learn the facts about college drinking.

Myths About Drinking
"I can drink and still be in control." Have you fallen prey to some of the most common myths about alcohol? Find out the truth at College Drinking Prevention.

Risky Relationships
Did you know that as many as 70% of college students admit to having engaged in sexual activity primarily as a result of being under the influence of alcohol or to having sex they would not have had if they had been sober? Learn more about the college sex-and-alcohol cocktail at Facts on Tap.

People can experience different effects of alcohol. Over consumption can result in unconsciousness and slow the heart enough to stop beating.

1. Wake the person up. If they do not respond, call for help.
   
   
2. Turn the person on their side. This is in case they vomit so they do not choke on their puke.
   
   
3. Examine the person's skin. See if their skin is clammy, cold, pale or bluish.
   
   
4. Examine their breathing. Notice if their breathing is irregular, shallow or slow (more than 10 seconds between breaths).
   
   

Low Risk Drinking is defined as:

• Being 21 or older
  
  
• Drinking only if you want to, not letting others dictate your choice.
  
  
• Eating a meal before drinking.
  
  
• Drinking no more than one drink per hour; maximum 1 for women, two for men. A drink is defined as 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of regular beer or 1.5 ounce of 80 proof spirits.
  
  
• Alternating alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
  
  
• Always knowing what you are drinking; never leaving a drink unattended.
  
  
• Knowing how you will get home safely before you go out. Having a designated driver.

Whether you feel you might have a problem with alcohol and want to cut back, or you want to know how to keep your drinking under control, check out the Do's and Don't's of Drinking.

Alcohol, Other Drugs and College: A Parent's Guide is a wonderful resource to understand college drug and alcohol use, consequences and what parents can do about it.

Fall Semester - A Time For Parents To Revisit Discussions About College Drinking

College Drinking Prevention has created a comprehensive site for parents to learn the facts about drinking and how to discuss alcohol use and abuse with their child.

Beginning February 2005 Boise State University students turning 21 years old will receive a birthday card in the mail aimed at helping them celebrate that milestone more responsibly.

Many students view high-risk drinking as a rite of passage during their college years, with their 21st birthday being a particularly dangerous event. News accounts each year tell of students who die from alcohol poisoning from excessive drinking e.g., 21 shots on their 21st birthday. Unfortunately, students often do not realize the dangers of consuming large quantities of alcohol. Nationally, an average of 27 college students die every week, 1,400 students each year, from an alcohol-related incident.

Research from Michigan State University shows that the 21st Birthday Card program, which involves mailing students a celebratory birthday card, congratulating them on their special milestone, and reminding them that if they do decide to drink alcohol, there are important tips to drinking responsibly and staying safe to see their 22nd birthday!

In order to evaluate the programs effectiveness, a month after their birthday students will be encouraged to fill out a questionnaire related to the effectiveness of the information provided on the card. Students have reported at several universities, including Michigan State, Kansas State, the University of Georgia and the University of Delaware, that this program effectively provided them with healthy tips for celebrating more responsibly, which resonated with them throughout their birthday activities.

For more information, please contact Christina Berg, Director of Wellness Services.

21st Birthday Card (PDF format)

Counseling Services
To talk to a caring professional about alcohol use and abuse, call Counseling Services at (208) 426-1601. Counseling Services is located at Taylor Hall, Suite B103.

Students in need of medical assistance can contact Medical Services at (208) 426-1459.

Idaho RADAR Network Center
The Idaho Regional Alcohol Drug Awareness Resource (RADAR) Network Center is an alcohol, tobacco and other drug information clearinghouse and resource referral service. They are your connection to resources and other people in cities and towns across the nation who are working together to prevent alcohol and other drug problems.

Summary of Results from the College Alcohol Study (CAS) and the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) regarding Boise State alcohol use and associated consequences.

Summary of Results from a 2003-2004 survey conducted with General Psychology students by the Boise State Psychology Department.

Are you familiar with the Alcohol and Drug Policies at Boise State University or those for the State of Idaho? Check out the links below:

Student Code of Conduct - Alcohol (Article 4, Section 2)
Housing Handbook Alcohol Policy (Section 3)
Boise State Drug & Alcohol Free Workplace
Boise State University Alcohol Beverage Permit Process Policy 1700 Policy 1703
Idaho Underage Drinking Laws
Find other college alcohol policies

Local Resources

Alcoholics Anonymous Treasure Valley
Phone: (208) 344-6611
Address: 1516 Vista Ave., Boise
Hours: Monday - Friday 10am-5pm; Saturday by appointment only.
E-mail: tvico@qwest.net
National website: www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/

Al-Anon/Alateen (For Families and Friends of Alcoholics)
Phone: (208) 344-1661
Address: 1111 S. Orchard St. Door 5, Room 172, Boise
Hours: Mon, Wed, Fri; 10am-2pm
National website: http://www.al-anon-idaho.org

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism houses information on alcohol research that is conducted nationwide. It includes a database with quick facts on alcohol related topics and The National Library of Medicine, along with a selection of pamphlets and brochures.

The Educational Development Center views health as the presence of physical, mental and social well-being, not simply the absence of illness. They work with health care professionals, as well as with schools and communities to promote health in all aspects of wellness. You will be able to find information in EDC publications and also learn more about their projects designed to help prevent drug and alcohol abuse.

Facts on Tap is a great site that focuses on alcohol and the college experience. Students are able to relate to other college students' experiences while getting the facts on alcohol abuse. This site includes stories from students who have been affected by someone's drinking problem and also gives tips on how to help a friend get their drinking troubles under control.

The Center for Addiction and Mental Health is a public hospital providing direct patient care for people with mental health and addiction problems. This site contains guidelines on low-risk drinking and ways to evaluate your drinking. It also has research publications available.

Join Together Online provides a wide variety of research articles on substance abuse. Some of their highlights include "Join the Discussion" in which visitors can ask questions, share their insight and explore issues.

Alcoholism: What You Need to Know About offers a wide selection of articles, classifieds and newsletters about alcoholism. You can also find treatment programs in any state, plus talk to people with similar issues in the chat room.

The Alcohol Epidemiology Program (AEP), directed by Alexander C. Wagenaar, PhD, is a research program within the school of Public Health at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. The mission of the AEP is to conduct advanced research to discover effective community and policy interventions to reduce alcohol-related social and health problems. Some of their recent studies include adolescent drinking, alcohol-involved traffic crashes and public opinion surveys.

Use the National Substance Abuse Web Index to find the most reliable and useful information on prevention, treatment, alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs on the web.

College Drinking: Changing the Culture is a great educational site that offers information about college alcohol policies along with facts about college drinking for students, parents and community leaders. You can also look at NIAAA reports and other current research.

If you want to know more about alcohol law and policy, zero tolerance, and what the alcohol experts have to say then check out Alcohol: Problems and Solutions. You can also find medical reports and information on drunk driving, alcohol and parenting and fetal alcohol syndrome.

Go Ask Alice's Q & A database houses numerous health-related questions and answers. Alice is produced by Columbia University’s Health Education Program.

Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth provides a comprehensive look at the marketing of alcohol to youth.