Test Your Alcohol I.Q.
By Christine Leister
The spring 1988 semester marks a new
"first" for the Capital College. It is the
first time that our college community
has seen a group of concerned students,
student affairs staff, and faculty members
working together to heighten awareness
of alcohol related issues.
This group of people make up
the newly-created Task Force on Alcohol
Awareness. Funded by contributions
from various student affairs offices and
the SGA, the task force will be
promoting activities this semester that
address the use and abuse of alcohol.
The following quiz is adapted
from Operation Threshold, a program
sponsored by the Jaycess. Most people
answer at least five questions incorrectly.
Can you do better than average?
Myth or Fact?
1. Alcohol is a drug.
2. In the body, alcohol is digested just as
food is.
3. Because it is a stimulant, alcohol
tends to pep a person up.
4. Everyone's body reacts the same way
to the same amount of alcohol.
5. Alcohol in any quantity will damage
organs in the body.
6. A person can die of alcohol
poisoning.
7. All alcoholic beverages are equally
strong.
8. Liquor taken straight will affect you
more strongly than liquor mixed with
„
water or soda.
9. Switching drinks will make you
drunker than staying with one kind of
alcoholic beverage.
10. You can sober up quickly by
drinking black coffee and dousing your
head with cold water.
11. It's risky to drive a car right after
having a drink.
12. Drunkeness and - alcoholism are the
same thing.
13. Anyone who drinks at all is likely to
become an alcoholic.
14. Alcoholics can be helped.
15. There are certain symptoms to warn
people that their drinking may be leading
to alcoholism.
16. Alcohol is the sole cause of
alcoholism.
17. Alcohol-related motor vehicle
accidents are the leading cause of death in
this country for 16-24 year olds.
18. You can never be arrested in
Pennsylvania for drunk driving with a
blood alcohol level of .06 percent.
19. You may refuse to take a breath test
for drunk driving without penalty in
Pennsylvania.
20. When a pregnant woman drinks, her
unborn baby is unaffected.
Answers
1. FACT. But it is not perceived as a
drug. A drug is something negative,
alcohol is seen as being positive. When
you ask, "Anybody doing drugs?" no one
thinks of alcohol.
2. MYTH. No breakdown of alcohol is
necessary since it begins to be absorbed
into the bloodstream almost
immediately. Food in the stomach will
slow down the absorption rate.
3. MYTH. Alcohol is a depressant. It
depresses the inhibitors in the front of
the brain ( the judgement center) so
behavoir actually becomes more
animated for a time.
4. MYTH. The larger the body, the more
spread out the alcohol becomes.
5. MYTH. "Any" is the key word.
Recent studies indicate that small
amounts may be beneficial to lowering
blood pressure. However, abusive
drinking can harm organs.
6. FACT. As a depressant. alcohol can
shut down some body systems and cause
death. Poisoning is not a good word,
overdose is.
7. MYTH. 12 ozs. of beer, 4 ozs. of
wine, 1 oz. of straight alcohol are equal.
8. FACT. Straight alcohol will have a
stronger effect, even though alcohol
taken with a carbonated beverage will
enter the bloodstream quicker.
9. MYTH. The different kinds of
alcohoh and mixers will make you
sicker, not drunker.
10. MYTH. Alcohol remains in the
body and is oxidized at the rate of one
ounce per hour.
11. FACT. As soon as alcohol is
introduced into the body it begins to
affect judgement, motor skills and
vision.
12. MYTH. Some reasons for a
person's drunkeness can be indicators for
alcoholism (especially behavoirs -that
show a lack of control over alcohol use),
but simply being drunk does not mean
that a person is alcoholic.
13. MYTH. Thb cohenstiS of
researchers is that about one out of every
10 drinkers in this country is (or will
become) an alcoholic.
14. FACT. Through self-help programs
and individual counseling.
15. FACT. Some would include
blackouts, gulping drinks, sneaking
drinks, making alibis for drinking,
morning eye-openers, anti-social
behavoir, and body tremors. Loss of
control is a good definition for
alcoholism.
16. MYTH. Alcohol is a symptom of
underlying problems, and is used to
cope. There is also evidence that
individuals can be born with a genetic
predisposition to alcoholism.
17. FACT. The leading cause of death
for the 16-24 yr. age group is motor
vehicle accidents. More than half of
these highway deaths are alcohol related.
18. FACT. Most people are aware of the
fact that in Pennsylvania a blood alcohol
level of .10 percent is enough to justify
an arrest for DUI. What many people do
not realize is that you can also be
arrested for DUI if your blood alcohol
level is greater than .05 percent if there
is other evidence that your driving is
impaired.
19. MYTH. If you refuse to take a
breath test your license will
automatically be suspended for one year.
The fact that you refused to take the test
can be used as evidence against you in
court.
20. FACT. Any drug, including alcohol,
that a pregnant woman ingests passes
through the placenta to the fetus . Fetal
Alcohol Syndrome, which is caused by
maternal dringking during pregnancy, is
believed to be the third leading cause of
mental retardation due to birth defects in
this country.
► pportunity for Adventure
vailable
STUDY ABROAD, from page 3
Concepts which is offered in Cologne,
Germany.
Structural design and
construction engineering- students may
want to study the design of concrete
structures in Leeds, England.
And a 15 credit program for
mass media students in Manchester,
England will concentrate on the English
media system.
Students may study Spanish in
Salamanca, French in Nice,or modern
reek in Athens, all while earning Penn
State credits that can be taken as required
sr elective courses.
acuity - Students - Staff
ome and Worship With Us During This Lenten
eason
ather Ken Smith, Roman Catholic Chaplaip
'astor K. Robert Schmitt, Assistant Pastor Of St.
'eter's Lutheran Church, Middletown, PA
Sponsored By:
Catholic Campus Ministry;
utheran Campus Ministry;
nterfaith Council of Middletown
"Applications for Spring 1989
study abroad programs must be
submitted by Mar. 11, 1988," said
Swetz. "A short essay explaining the
reasons for seeking enrollment in a
particular program should also be
enclosed."
A grade point average of 2.50 is
required and prerequisite courses must be
completed before enrolling in a program.
Tuition is comparable to University
Park expenses.
For more information or an
application to swdy abroad, contact Joan
Swetz, room 200, or call 948-6017.
SERVICE
OF THE
WORD
Led By
Every Wednesday-
BCAC Lounge
12:00 P.M.