Contact:
Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179; Cell: (740) 464-4854
940 Second Street – Portsmouth, Ohio 45662
E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu 
Web site: www.shawnee.edu

            Four events on alcohol awareness are planned at Shawnee State University during Alcohol Awareness Month in April.
            The first event “What Alcohol Did for Me” is at noon on Monday, April 5 in the University Center Jazzman’s Lobby. Guest speaker, Lynn, will tell her story about her addiction to alcohol. She is a former SSU student and she has been in recovery for about seven years. This event is sponsored by the Office of Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Programming Board and University Housing.
            On Tuesday, April 6, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. free cotton candy and a quiz on “The Cost of Alcohol” will be available on the patio in front of the old bookstore building.
            The highlight of the week is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 7 in the Sodexo Ballroom. The Educational Theatre Troupe from Wilmington College will be performing.
            Alcohol screenings will be offered from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 8 outside on the patio weather permitting.
            “We want to educate students so they can make informed choices,” said Alan Siebel, chemical dependency counselor, Office of Counseling and Psychological Services at SSU.
            According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, binge drinking is defined as a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above. This typically happens when men consume five or more drinks, and when women consume four or more drinks, in about two hours.
            “Some students misunderstand what alcohol does to the blood,” Siebel said. “What happens is that when someone has been binge drinking and they pass out, the blood alcohol content rises. They get alcohol poisoning and that is where they start to run into trouble. That is when people die.”
            According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), binge drinking is associated with many health problems, including but not limited to:
                        · Unintentional injuries (e.g., car crashes, falls, burns, drowning)
                        · Intentional injuries (e.g., firearm injuries, sexual assault, domestic violence)
                        · Alcohol poisoning
                        · Sexually transmitted diseases
                        · Unintended pregnancy
                        · Children born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
                        · High blood pressure, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases
                        · Liver disease and more
            For more information on Alcohol Awareness Month, contact Siebel at asiebel@shawnee.edu or call (740) 351-3848.