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The effects of college-aged drinking can have a lasting impression on a person’s life. According to collegedrinkingprevention.gov, one in three 18 to 24-year-olds admitted to the emergency room for serious injuries is intoxicated.
To give helpful information to its peers about the dangers of alcohol and how to drink responsibly, the Drake University chapter of The Student National Pharmaceutical Association worked with Employee and Family Resources’ Erin Olson to create a program about alcohol, alcohol abuse and alcohol poisoning.
The event, “Shattering the Myths of Alcohol,” will take place Thursday at 6 p.m. in Bulldog Theater.
Stephanie Vanchipurakal, one of the SNPhA pre-pharmacy co-chairs, said she and her co-chair Wing Lee were instrumental in putting together this alcohol awareness event.
Vanchipurakal said the event is targeted toward freshmen but is open to the entire campus.
With “Shattering the Myths of Alcohol,” SNPhA is able to use its scientific knowledge and research to affect the Drake community in a positive way.
This is the first time the committee has hosted an event about alcohol to educate the student body.
“Our committee focuses on events for pre-pharmacy students that will keep them informed about the pharmacy field,” Vanchipurakal said. “However, this program focuses on everyone because alcohol is available to everyone and affects everyone.”
The event will feature three speakers. Each speaker brings expertise on different areas of alcohol abuse.
Erin Olson of Employee and Family Resources will be addressing responsibility and proper use of alcohol. She will also explain the legal consequences of misuse.
Drake’s Dr. Debora Christensen, Assistant Professor of Biology, will discuss her past experiences as an EMT with patients who had alcohol poisoning. She will give details about what happens to the body when it goes through alcohol poisoning.
Pharmacist Rami Hanania will share a personal story of alcohol abuse.
“This program is not meant to be condescending in any way,” Vanchipurakal said. “It is an opportunity for students to take the initiative to learn how to take care of one another in incidents pertaining to alcohol.”
SNPhA’s goal with hosting this event is to give students the right information so they can keep themselves safe and responsible.
Vanchipurakal said she hopes students learn their limits with alcohol consumption as well as understand how to properly help take care of a student who has alcohol poisoning.
SNPhA felt an alcohol education event was important because Drake has had unfortunate incidents over the past few years that involved the death and serious injuries of students due to over-consumption of alcohol.
“This doesn’t need to be happening on campus,” Vanchipurakal said. “The hope is that this program will make these situations seem more real to the students and hopefully [they] will learn from the personal experiences of the speakers.”
SNPhA encourages all students on campus to come learn more about how to stay safe from the damaging effects of alcohol. There will be snacks and drinks provided for attendees.
Knowing the facts could mean the difference between life and death.
