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Alcohol-free campus campaign starts

By Kim Tae-jong 02-17-2011 www.koreatimes.co.kr 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 As spring approaches and the new university semester opens, some freshmen may die tragic deaths from binge drinking forced upon them during various initiation or orientation sessions at campuses throughout the country. To put an end to the ritual that has ended the lives of young students, the government has launched a campaign, signing agreements to work together with universities and parents to ultimately make campuses alcohol-free zones. How would a parent feel to lose a child after raising them for 20 years because of alcohol? Health Minister Chin Soo-hee said Wednesday during a meeting with heads of university associations. We should cultivate and promote healthy drinking habits from this year through vigorous preventive and educational measures to stop such tragedies. The ministry plans to hold various campaigns to educate students about the harmful effects of drinking and ban alcoholic beverage advertisements and other marketing promotions on campus in cooperation with universities. It also asked schools to forbid students from drinking inside dormitories, classrooms, student assembly halls and student lounges. We are recommending universities to take assertive steps to make campuses free of alcohol. Though it has no legally binding force, we expect this campaign will help prevent bingedrinking-related deaths on campus, a ministry official said. But the move could be seen as harsh on students who believe they should be able to decide whether to drink and its not a matter for the authorities. A few universities including Seoul National University (SNU) and Korea University, run bars within their campuses. And the Yonsei International Campus in Songdo, Incheon, is considering a plan to open a bar in a dorm or student building. Experts also warn that a bad booze culture prevails among university students in the name of fostering unity and solidarity between younger and older students. Korean society is too generous in regards to drinking, said Na Chang-won, education team researcher at the Korean Alcohol Research Foundation (KARF). But heavy and habitual drinking results in many problems. People can suffer from physical and emotional problems, and when theyre drunk, they are vulnerable to crimes. According to the institutes survey, one out of every three male university students is a binge drinker who drinks heavily more than three times a week.

2 32 33 34 35 36 37 In its survey of 4,061 students from 63 universities, about 71 percent are categorized as binge drinkers. When a university student becomes a habitual drinker, its highly possible that he or she will stay that way even after graduation and they may suffer from the misuse or even the addiction of alcohol. In short, society as a whole will suffer from drinking problems if we dont tackle the problem of students who drink too much first, Na said.

Topic Sidebar: Alcohol Poisoning

By Mayo Clinic staff 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 2 Alcohol poisoning is a serious and sometimes deadly consequence of drinking large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time. Drinking too much too quickly can affect your breathing, heart rate and gag reflex and potentially lead to coma and death. Binge drinking rapidly downing five or more drinks in a row is a main cause of alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning can also occur when you accidentally or intentionally drink household products that contain alcohol. A person with alcohol poisoning needs immediate medical attention. If you suspect someone has alcohol poisoning, call for emergency medical help right away. Symptoms Alcohol poisoning symptoms include: Confusion, stupor Vomiting Seizures Slow breathing (less than eight breaths a minute) Irregular breathing (a gap of more than 10 seconds between breaths) Blue-tinged skin or pale skin Low body temperature (hypothermia) Unconsciousness (passing out), and cant be roused Its not necessary for all of these symptoms to be present before you seek help. A person who is unconscious or cant be roused is at risk of dying. When to see a doctor If you suspect that someone has alcohol poisoning even if you dont see the classic signs and symptoms seek immediate medical care. In an emergency, follow these suggestions: If the person is unconscious, breathing less than eight times a minute or has repeated, uncontrolled vomiting, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately. Keep in mind that even when someone is unconscious or has stopped drinking, alcohol continues to be released into the bloodstream and the level of alcohol in the body continues to rise. Never assume that a person will sleep off alcohol poisoning. Dont leave an unconscious person alone. While waiting for help, dont try to make the person vomit. Alcohol poisoning affects the way your gag reflex works. That means someone with alcohol poisoning may choke on his or her own vomit or accidentally

3 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 inhale (aspirate) vomit into the lungs, which could cause a fatal lung injury. Lifestyle and home remedies Home remedies for sobering up abound, but most are ineffective, and some can be dangerous. Heres what doesnt work: Black coffee A cold shower the shock of cold can cause a loss of consciousness Walking it off Sleeping it off you can lose consciousness while asleep If you suspect that someone has alcohol poisoning, heres what to do: Stay with a person who is vomiting and try to keep him or her sitting up. If the person must lie down, make sure to turn his or her head to the side this helps prevent choking. Try to keep the person awake to prevent loss of consciousness. Dont be afraid to get help for a friend, even if you think it wont be appreciated. It can be difficult to decide if you think someone is drunk enough to warrant medical intervention, but its best to err on the side of caution. You may worry about the consequences for yourself or your friend or loved one, particularly if youre underage. But, the consequences of not getting the right help in time can be far more serious.

Alcohol-free campus campaign starts

Warm-up Exercises Discuss the following questions with a partner or in a small group. 1. In your culture, what is the general attitude towards heavy alcohol consumption? Is your own attitude the same? Are there any drinking customs that are unique to your country? 2. Have you ever had to take care of a drunk friend? What happened? 3. What problems might occur due to someone over-drinking? 4. Many universities throughout the world have bars operating on their campuses. Do you think KAIST should also? Pre-reading exercises Vocabulary Preview Read each of the following sentences taken from the reading and try to guess the meaning of the underlined word from its context. As spring approaches and the new university semester opens, some freshmen may die tragic deaths from binge drinking forced upon them during various initiation or orientation sessions at campuses throughout the country. 1) An initiation is (A) a ceremony or series of actions that makes a person a member of a group (B) a person who is involved in an activity or event (C) a document describing how freshmen students should conduct themselves In short, society as a whole will suffer from drinking problems if we dont tackle the problem of students who drink too much first, Na said. 2) To tackle a problem means (A) to enforce the current laws very strictly (B) to deal with (something difficult) (C) to completely eliminate But the move could be seen as harsh on students who believe they should be able to decide whether to drink and its not a matter for the authorities. 3) Harsh in this sentence means (A) severe or cruel (B) something that is completely understandable 4

5 (C) acceptable It can be difficult to decide if you think someone is drunk enough to warrant medical intervention, but its best to err on the side of caution. 4) In the above sentence, to warrant means (A) enforce by law (B) to predict (C) to require or deserve We should cultivate and promote healthy drinking habits from this year through vigorous preventive and educational measures to stop such tragedies. (5) In the above sentence, cultivate means (A) to improve or develop (something) by careful attention, training, or study (B) to design a detailed plan to reach your desired goal (C) to decrease the amount of alcohol in a drink to make it safer Post-reading exercises a) Comprehension Check Give short answers to the following questions based on the reading. 1. How does the Korean government hope to reduce the number of alcohol related deaths at Korean universities? 2. Briefly describe the results of the Korean Alcohol Research Foundation's survey of 4,060 students. 3. According to the Mayo Clinic, what home remedies for sobering up have been found to be ineffective or possibly even dangerous? 4. If your friend is very drunk and he or she is lying down, what should you do to help prevent your friend from choking? 5. What are some of the symptoms of alcohol poisoning? Writing Exercise a. Write a process paragraph (or essay) explaining how to help a friend who is very drunk. b. Write an opinion paragraph (or essay) on whether or not a bar should be opened in your dormitory building. Extension Exercise Complete the crossword puzzle using words found in both articles.