Bruins drink less than UC, national averages
By Paunie Samreth
June 22, 2003 9:00 p.m.
The use of alcohol is widespread on college campuses, including
UCLA. The abuse of alcohol, however, is not, health officials
say.
“The truth is, the majority of students who consume
alcohol in college don’t have any problems with it,”
said Pamela Viele, director of health education for the Arthur Ashe
Student Health and Wellness Center.
In a 2002 study done by the Ashe Center, 21.9 percent of UCLA
students had five or more drinks in one sitting in the two weeks
prior to the study.
This is lower than the UC average of 32.5 percent and the
national average of 46.5 percent, according to the Core Alcohol and
Drug Survey.
College drinking becomes a problem when it is done in contexts
that are not safe, Viele said.
This includes drinking games which are considered high-risk
because they encourage rapid ingestion and don’t allow the
body enough time to safely metabolize the alcohol, Viele said.
Alcohol is metabolized by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase,
located in the liver. Women metabolize alcohol much slower then men
because they produce less of the enzyme.
Although the effects vary from person to person, alcohol is
known to reduce the activity of the central nervous system,
resulting in poor motor skills, vision and memory.
Initial side effects of alcohol include a loss of restraint and
feelings of euphoria.
With the consumption of more alcohol, euphoria is replaced with
feelings of depression, anxiety and restlessness.
When the blood alcohol concentration reaches 0.16 percent,
nausea and vomiting can occur.
Coma or death can result from a BAC of 0.40 or higher.
“The response of alcohol however, depends on so much more
than the actual quantity consumed,” Viele said.
In cultures where drinking is integrated, there are low levels
of alcohol abuse. In cultures where an emphasis is placed on
prohibition and abstaining from alcohol consumption, there is a
stronger association between drinking and violent and belligerent
behavior, Viele said.
Students who drink because they have problems or are unable to
deal with their emotions are more likely to participate in
risk-taking behavior, ending up hurt themselves or others.
According to the Ashe Center study, approximately 15 percent of
UCLA students did poorly on an assignment or exam and a little over
7 percent of students were pressured into sex or sexual behavior
after the consumption of alcohol.
UCLa offers many services to help students with abuse of alcohol
or any other substance. The Ashe Center and the Student
Psychological Services offer counseling. Additionally, Alcoholics
Anonymous meets on campus daily to provide group support for
students who wish to recover from alcoholism.
For more information visit www.studentgroups.ucla.edu/aa or
the Ashe Center Web site: www.studenthealth.ucla.edu.
