Party Smart

Safety Concerns

Sexual Assault
Alcohol impairs your judgment and lowers your inhibitions, and parties and crowd atmospheres provide more opportunities and cover for unwanted touching or sexual advances. For more info, go to the UConn Sexual Violence, Domestic Violence and Stalking Awareness Page

Theft
If you’ve invited people you don’t know to your home, you and your guests may be more susceptible to theft. Drunk people can be easy targets, and you might not notice that your stuff is missing until the next day when the thief is long gone.

Injury
Crowds at large parties can be dangerous for intoxicated people, especially in enclosed spaces. There is a higher risk of being trampled or assaulted, whether intentionally or not. Apartment balconies can become crowded, increasing the risk for intoxicated people to fall. Standing on roofs or high decks is especially dangerous for drunk people. Additionally, when your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) rises to a certain level (likely between 0.15 and 0.25), you may not be able to feel pain if you are injured.

For emergencies, call 911!

Alcohol Poisoning

What are the signs?

  • Unconscious or semi-conscious and cannot be awakened
  • Skin is cold or clammy and has pale or bluish color
  • Slowed heart rate
  • Slow breathing – less than eight breaths per minute
  • Vomiting while “sleeping” or passed out, and not waking up after vomiting.
  • Eyes rolling back into head

If a person has  ANY of these symptoms, they need help!

  • Don’t leave the person alone—turn the person on his/her side to prevent choking in case of vomiting.
  • It’s important to get help ASAP. Your friend will appreciate the fact that you care, and you will NOT get in trouble for helping someone with alcohol poisoning.
  • PLEASE, do not be afraid to help a friend or fellow student in need!

The Basics of BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration)

What affects BAC?

a group of people holding drinks

  • How much you drink – the more you drink, the higher your BAC
  • How quickly you drink – your BAC rises faster if you don’t let your body catch up to process the alcohol
  • Your biological sex – BAC tends to rise more quickly in women than in men. Men have 25% more of the enzyme that breaks down alcohol; women are typically smaller with higher percentages of body fat for reproduction purposes. Alcohol stays in fat cells and takes longer to oxidize.
  • Your size – the larger you are, the more water your body contains, diluting the alcohol
  • What you’ve eaten recently – food slows the absorption of alcohol, especially if it’s loaded with protein and carbohydrates

What is an actual drink drink?

  • 12 ounces of beer or malt beverage
  • 4 – 5 ounces of wine
  • 1.5 ounces of hard liquor (80 proof)