How is Your Drink Affecting You?

 Blood Alcohol Concentration, is a measure of the amount of alcohol in the body. Blood alcohol is measured directly through testing blood or indirectly through tests that use breath, urine or saliva.
Many factors affect an individual's absorption of alcohol, such as:

• Weight,
• Gender
• Whether or not you have eaten recently
• Amount of time spent drinking
• Tolerance
• Current emotional state

 I’m okay to drive………..

 **Louisiana considers a person too intoxicated to drive when his or her BAC reaches .08%.

 It is NEVER ok to drive after having consumed alcohol, even if you have had only one drink. The same applies to being under the influence of drugs. After having just one drink or using marijuana and/or other drugs, reaction times have slowed and judgment and coordination becomes impaired. It becomes extremely difficult for your brain to register that the brakes need to be applied or that you are following too close. Reactions take longer to comprehend. Additionally, it becomes harder to “multi-task.” For instance, keeping your car in between the lines while looking ahead at intersections for light changes, monitoring other cars that are on the road, and trying to find your exit or road you are taking.

 Alcohol is a depressant. So is marijuana. In other words, they slow down the functions of the Central Nervous System (CNS). The more you use, the stronger the effects will be. Keeping one’s eyes open, controlling eye movement, and focusing on objects are all functions controlled by the CNS. As your BAC rises, vision becomes severely impaired.

 Add to these noisy passengers in the car, as well as loud music, and the risk for being involved in a fatal accident increases. Could you live with yourself if you were responsible for the death of someone else on the road because of the decision that you made to drive after drinking or while high? What about the death of one your passengers, maybe a close friend of yours or a significant other?

 Don’t think that it can’t or won’t happen to you. IT CAN AND IT WILL! If you are planning to drink, ALWAYS have a designated driver. The designated driver should be someone that has had ZERO to drink and is not under the influence of any drugs; not the person who is the most sober. There is no such thing.

 If you or someone you know has problems with drugs and/or alcohol, FREE alcohol and drug screenings and counseling are available to all UL Lafayette students, faculty, and staff at the Counseling & Testing Center located in OK Allen Hall (Saucier Wellness Center), 482-6480.