by Jeremy Hunt
Daily Lobo
COSAP, a campus organization dedicated to substance-abuse prevention, is hosting Red Ribbon Day today to raise awareness about alcoholism and the dangers of drunken driving.
There will be informational booths and presentations at Smith Plaza, south of Zimmerman Library, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Jill Yeagley, program manager for COSAP, said the organization's focus is on binge drinking and drunken driving.
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COSAP defines a binge as four or more drinks in one sitting for a female, five or more drinks for a male or any amount of drinking that raises the blood-alcohol
content above 0.08 percent.
"Our biggest problem is not alcoholism but alcohol abuse - students who are not necessarily suffering from alcoholism or addiction, but they overdo it with alcohol on occasion," Yeagley said.
She said students who drink excessively make college more difficult for themselves, because research shows intoxication affects memory and cognitive abilities.
"Nationally, we've seen that probably about a quarter of students who drop out say that alcohol was the primary factor,"
she said.
Student Tyler Gillihan said he drinks about three times a week and has more than five drinks each time.
He said it's OK because he is responsible and takes care of school first.
"I don't see it as a problem as long as you stay focused," he said.
Yeagley said intoxication is when blood-alcohol content is 0.08 percent or higher. Intoxication is dangerous and strongly correlated to sexual assault, violence and unsafe sexual practices, she said.
"Drinking and driving is one of the - if not the - leading cause of death for the traditional college-age student," she said.
COSAP has a designated-driver program, where students can get a card from the office and take it when they go out to the bar.
"We have about 18 or 19 places that are partners, where they guarantee a student who shows the card will get free soft drinks or coffee all night," she said.
When the student shows the card, the bartender signs the back. If students have a card that's been signed twice, they can bring it back to the office for a reward. They get two free movie passes and are entered into a raffle for an all-expense-paid trip for two to Las Vegas, Yeagley said.
Gillihan said drinking is a social activity.
"It's fun to go out on a social outing," he said. "I don't drink by myself. I think it's fun to go out with friends and have a
couple beers."
Student AndrÇs Madue§o said he drinks three to four times a week and has five or more drinks once a week.
"Most of the time I just sit down, have a beer and watch the game," he said.
Madue§o said drinking is not a problem with him because he is modest about it.
Yeagley said COSAP is not based on abstinence from alcohol.
"We're not telling people they should never drink. I think that's certainly an individual decision," she said. "Our hope is that if people choose to drink, that they'll do it in a moderate, safe fashion."
