In more and more families, the standard advice for sending a child off to college is not… In more and more families, the standard advice for sending a child off to college is not “Don’t drink,” but rather “Don’t drink and drive.”

This does not mean that students are expected to drink. It is just what seems to happen to some in the heat of a good party.

Going out every weekend – weekends starting on Thursday night – searching for the most likely source of alcohol can easily go downhill towards disaster: socially, individually and academically.

Generally, the indicator of alcohol abuse is consumption of more than five drinks per night for men and four drinks per night for women. Of course, these standards depend on various issues.

“There are, however, many factors that also have to be considered including the person’s size, tolerance, how much they’ve eaten and over how much time the consumption is taking place,” Joseph Mull, interim director of Health Education at Pitt, said.

According to Pitt’s 2006 Student Health Service survey, 51 percent of Pitt students admitted to drinking above this abusive level at least once in the past two weeks.

Those students who consistently drink to get intoxicated put themselves at risk of alcohol dependency and other problems.

If caught underage drinking, the majority of students are referred to Pitt’s Counseling Center, where students are evaluated and some are put in support groups. The Counseling Center also caters to students who are voluntarily seeking support.

“We probably see approximately 10 students per month that are mandated to have a drug and alcohol assessment because of a student code of conduct violation,” James Cox, Pitt’s Counseling Center director, said.

“Our students often experience many consequences relative to their drinking: getting cited for underage consumption, which can jeopardize future plans for grad school, a certain job or certification, etc., placing undue stress and fatigue on the body, academic side effects like missing class or not being sharp on an exam or in a discussion are all things that our students experience. Also babysitting a friend, vandalism, hangovers, fights, the list goes on and on,” Mull said.

Students tend to drink as a form of release from their daily routine without thinking of the realistic and sometimes almost deadly consequences.

A student who wished to remain anonymous spoke of her particular case of over-drinking.

“It was the beginning of my freshman year, and I was feeling stressed, so I just wanted to get drunk. I didn’t really feel the alcohol at first, so I ended up having 10 to 11 drinks in less than two hours. That night I went to UPMC Presbyterian because I was barely able to function.”

If someone drinks heavily and then quickly passes out or becomes somewhat unconscious, his or her state is probably only going to get worse because all of the alcohol has not been absorbed yet.

“At UPMC Presbyterian, we perhaps see 10 to 15 cases a weekend with ethanol-related illness,” Daniel Brooks, chief of the division of medical toxicology said.

Long-term health risks also play a huge role in the dangers of alcohol abuse.

“Chronic drinking can lead to a variety of physical and emotional ailments too numerous to name. Research has found that individuals with alcohol dependencies have a greater occurrence of injuries, hypertension, HIV, hepatitis, acid-related peptic disorders, liver cirrhosis, depression, anxiety disorders, and major psychoses to name just a few,” Mull said.

If students choose to drink, they must do it the right way. The body can absorb about one drink per hour. If one sticks with this rate, then there is less of a chance of putting oneself at the risk of alcohol overdose. This way students can still have fun without the devastating side effects.