
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 increase 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. Extremely
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 excessive amounts of alcohol, especially when combined with
poor nutrition, can lead to permanent damage to vital organs such as the brain and
liver.
Mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy may give birth to infants with fetal alcohol
syndrome. These infants have irreversible physical abnormalities and intellectual
disabilities. In addition, research indicates that children of alcoholic parents are
at greater risk of becoming alcoholics than other youngsters.