Alcohol poisoning provides students with life lessons

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The effects of alcohol poisoning on students can bring more than a hospital bed for the night.

Brandon, a Central Michigan University sophomore who wished to not give his full name, said getting alcohol poisoning his freshman year was a huge life lesson.

“After playing drinking games all day, the next thing I know, my best friend was helping me back to my room and I passed out,” he said. “The most I remember as far as feeling, is my whole body feeling like jello and not being able to walk without assistance.”

After he told his friend to call the police, Brandon went to the hospital for about two hours. He said his blood alcohol content reached 0.33, four more times than the legal limit.

“Since I called on myself and was in the position I was in, I didn’t get in any trouble at all,” he said. “In so many words, being intoxicated was my punishment.”

Nicole Sanders, Central Michigan Community Hospital marketing and communicating manager, said the Emergency Room sees alcohol poisoning incidents on a daily basis.

“It has increased slightly with school being back in session,” she said. “There is also usually an increase when there are big events such as Homecoming, football games and Welcome Weekend.”

Sanders said the hospital deals with the most cases of alcohol poisoning Thursday through Saturday.

The ER staff is required to call the police if the individual intoxicated is underage, she said.

“We always treat the patient before contacting police,” Sanders said.

Although CMCH has an increase on weekends, Lansing senior Emily Nuss said, as a Resident Assistant, alcohol poisoning happens any time.

“Some think that there are certain weekends or days of the week when alcohol poisoning is more prevalent, but in all honesty, it can happen any day of the week, regardless if there is a big event happening,” she said.

Nuss said when she sees one of her residents experiencing alcohol poisoning, she jumps into action.

“I don’t have time to think — my main goal at that moment in time is to make sure they are okay,” she said. “While it is scary to see someone who is experiencing alcohol poisoning, it makes me feel better to help get them the help they need.”

There is a specific process the RAs must follow when their residents are in need of assistance.

“We first check in with them and their roommates and collect information,” she said. “We are hoping to learn more about how much the resident drank, what they drank, how long it had been since they drank, if they took any medication before they began drinking and if they had eaten before they began drinking.”

From there, the Residence Hall Director will call the CMU Police and Emergency Medical Services.

“It is necessary that we go through this line of power because each person knows more about alcohol poisoning than the previous, and they will be able to decide if it is necessary for the resident to go to the hospital,” Nuss said.

A sophomore who wished to remain anonymous said she has changed her drinking ways since getting alcohol poisoning.

“You would think that I would stop, but now I know my limit and when not to go over it,” she said. “I took a couple of shots, then it started to escalate into more and more shots and I lost track of count.”

She said the next thing she knew she was in the back of an ambulance in a hospital bed.

“I only remember waking up the next morning at the hospital,” she said. “It felt horrible. I couldn’t control my body and the room was spinning.”

Brandon said having a high tolerance for alcohol does not make a difference.

“In the end, if you consume enough, you could very well end up in the same situation and later wondering what happened,” he said. “Just be responsible, smart and careful. It’s not fun at all.”