Checking out last call

They say you gain 15 pounds your first year of university – the dreaded “Freshman 15” - because you go through a big change in lifestyle.  You eat more junk food, you eat more late night snacks and, you drink a lot more.

“During first year post secondary, typically we see drinking rates increase” says   Linda Scurr of the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC).  “People are away from home for the first time and alcohol is used to bring people together. Some people come out to drink or there are clubs, associations and programs that you join and have a drink afterwards.”

Scurr says some students do so much drinking their first year they don’t make it to graduation:  “Typically, any severe problem shows up the first year and people with severe problems related to their use of alcohol tend not to last at school.  They can’t do it.”

But if you’ve managed to balance a lot of drinking with a lot of studying, as you get ready to graduate, you’re facing another big change in lifestyle.

“Things are different.  You’re going to move into the work world where you don’t have a party every night and you can’t drink in the same way.  You’re looking for different things in your life now.  And alcohol is less of a part of that.”

Scurr says most people just naturally mature out of heavy drinking habits at university.  But others may be on their way to developing a dependency on alcohol and not even be aware of it.  “They don’t have a problem because everyone they know drinks the same as them, so why would I consider it a problem?”

The social environment changes but there are also physical changes related to your consumption of alcohol.  “You find out as you age, your body and your metabolism change and you just can’t drink like you were 18 or 19 any longer.  There are parts of the transition to adulthood that are physiological.”

Scurr says the safe guidelines for drinking are seven to nine drinks a week for women or two drinks a day for men, for a total of 14 drinks a week.  But that doesn’t mean you can save up your weekly allotment and drink them all in one night.

“If you’re going to go out, a safe level of drinking would be two drinks in a night, and one hour per drink.  That’s just to give your body enough time to process the alcohol,” Scurr says.  “Your liver is your clearing house and many people will put their liver into overdrive.  But it just can’t handle metabolizing the alcohol any quicker.   It doesn’t matter who you are it’s not going to do that.” 

If you want more information about safe levels of drinking, visit www.aadac.com.