Drug and Alcohol Education
Description of Health Risks
The scope and impact of health risks from alcohol and drug abuse are both alarming
and well
documented, ranging from mood altering to life threatening, with consequences that
extend
beyond the individual to family, organizations and society at large. The university,
therefore,
conducts regular programs to educate its students, faculty and staff that consumption
and use of drugs may alter behavior, distort perception, impair thinking, impede judgment,
and lead to
physical or psychological dependence.
Alcohol and/or drug abuse may lead to the deterioration of physical health by causing
or
contributing to various health conditions including but not limited to fatigue, nausea,
personal
injury, insomnia, pathological organ damage, some forms of cancer, pancreatitis, heart
attack,
respiratory depression, birth defects, convulsions, coma, and even death. Alcohol
and drug abuse may also result in deterioration of mental health by causing or contributing
to various conditions
such as increased aggression, hallucinations, depression, disorientation, and psychosis.
Alcohol consumption causes a number of marked changes in behavior. Even low doses
significantly impair the judgment and coordination required to drive a car safely,
increasing the
likelihood that the driver will be involved in an accident. Low to moderate doses
of alcohol also
increases the incidence of a variety of aggressive acts, including spouse and child
abuse.
Moderate to high doses of alcohol cause marked impairments in higher mental functions,
severely altering a person s ability to learn and remember information. Very high
doses cause
respiratory depression and death. If combined with other depressants of the central
nervous
system, much lower doses of alcohol will produce the effects just described. Repeated
use of
alcohol can lead to dependence. Sudden cessation of alcohol intake is likely to produce
withdrawal symptoms, including severe anxiety, tremors, hallucinations, and convulsions.
Alcohol withdrawal can be life threatening. Long-term consumption of large quantities
of
alcohol, particularly when combined with poor nutrition, can also lead to permanent
damage to
vital organs such as the brain and the liver.
Mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy may give birth to infants with fetal alcohol
syndrome. These infants have irreversible physical abnormalities and mental retardation.
In
addition, research indicates that children of alcoholic parents are at greater risk
than other
youngsters of becoming alcoholics.