Alcohol

Study: Alcohol impacts sexual assault

By R. Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA OSU-CCS Psychiatrist

More attention is being given to preventing sexual assault at many colleges across the nation.

While this is a complex issue with many factors, this study suggests that students might be able to reduce their risk of sexual assault by reducing or avoiding alcohol or situations that involve alcohol.

What did the study involve?
• 1,197 students completed an online survey.
• The study authors looked at substance use by both the victim and perpetrator at the time of sexual assault.

What did the results show?
Substance use (including alcohol) was more common for both victims and perpetrators.

Of the students reporting sexual assault or forced sexual touching:
• At least 70% reported they were drinking alcohol at the time.
• At least 70% reported that perpetrators were drinking and/or drug use during incidents of sexual assault or rape.

How much alcohol was consumed by those who had the most harm in terms of sexual assault?

-Among victims 40 % females and 60% of males binge drank at least once per week over 3 months.
-Among victims, most of the study participants drank less than 20 drinks per week.

What do the results suggest?
• Substance use is often involved in both the perpetrators and victims of sexual assault.
• This study suggests that students might be able to reduce their risk of sexual assault by reducing or avoiding alcohol or situations that involve alcohol.

What are some caveats?
• Sexual assault is a complex issue with many factors involved.
• This is just 1 of many studies on the issue of alcohol and sexual assault.
Resources:

•General Information:

o CCS: Sexual Violence Self Help Page

sexual violence resource-wheel-bisg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Reporting sexual assault allegations or information at OSU:

o Title IX coordinator by emailing titleix@osu.edu; sexualharrasment@osu.edu or Office of Human Resources (614-292-2800).
o Deputy Title IX coordinator by calling 614-292-0748 or emailing studentconduct@osu.edu at the Office of StudentLife, Student Conduct Department.

• Seeking help after sexual assault:

o ccs.osu.edu Counseling for OSU students.

oSexual Assault Response Network of Central Ohio (SARNCO) | (614) 267-7020 Hospital and hotline advocates.
o OSU Campus Police | Call 911 for emergencies | (614) 292-2121 Making an official report & safety planning
o Columbus Police | Call 911 for emergencies | (906) 645-4545 Assists in making an official report and safety planning
o OSU Wexner Medical Center | Call 911 for emergencies | (614) 293-8333 Can provide medical care, evidence collection, STI, pregnancy and drugged drink testing. Seek medical attention and/or evidence collection if the violence/sexual assault occurred within the last 72 hours. A specially trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner is usually available, and an advocate will be called to assist you.

 Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes. With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.
References:
1. Elizabeth Reed, Hortensia Amaro, Atsushi Matsumoto, Debra Kaysen . The relation between interpersonal violence and substance use among a sample of university students: Examination of the role of victim and perpetrator substance use. Addictive Behaviors 34 (2009) 316–318

Study: Smoking might increase your alcohol intake

By R. Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA, OSU-CCS Psychiatrist    alcohol and smokes (3)

Over 26 studies show (4) that smoking contributes to anxiety and depression and that you can feel good and increase happiness by quitting tobacco.
Students might also know about smoking cigarettes raising your risk of cancer, stroke, heart disease, breathing problems (1) and that quitting smoking can reduce these risks (2-3).
A recent study suggests smoking might increase your alcohol consumption (5-6).

What was the study?
In this animal study (5-6), rats were trained to press a bar to obtain alcohol and were exposed to nicotine or saline in different experimental designs.

What did the study show?
This study showed that, in alcohol-dependent animals, nicotine increased:
• The speed at which alcohol was ingested,
• The amount of work that animals would do to obtain alcohol (i.e., the number of times they would press a bar to get one dose), and
• The amount of drinking despite adverse consequences

What do the results suggest?
Quitting smoking might help you drink less or quit alcohol completely. Further study is needed.

How can I quit smoking?
http://swc.osu.edu/alcohol-tobacco-other-drugs/quit-tobacco/
http://tobaccofree.osu.edu/resources/
http://smokefree.gov/
http://www.cancer.org/healthy/stayawayfromtobacco/guidetoquittingsmoking/index
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/tobaccocancer/smokelesstobaccoandhowtoquit/index

Where can I learn more about alcohol?
How much is too much, Strategies for cutting down, quitting can be found here:
http://www.ccs.osu.edu/self-help/alcohol/
http://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/default.asp

Take the OSU Free Anonymous Mental health Screen

Is smoking impacting your alcohol intake? Could you stand to feel better? Perform better academically? What other consequences are you experiencing from smoking or alcohol or both?

Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes. With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.

References
1. US Department of Health and Human Services. The health consequences of smoking: a
report of the Surgeon General. US Department of Health and Human Services, 2004.
2. US Department of Health and Human Services. The health benefits of smoking cessation.
US Department of Health and Human Services, 1990.
3. Pirie K, Peto R, Reeves G, Green J, Beral V. The 21st century hazards of smoking and
benefits of stopping: a prospective study of one million women in the UK. Lancet
2013;381:133-41.
4. Taylor G, et al. Change in mental health after smoking cessation: systematic review and meta-analysis. OPEN ACCESS. BMJ 2014;348:g1151 doi: 10.1136/bmj.g1151 (Published 13 February 2014).

5. Leão RM et al. Chronic nicotine activates stress/reward-related brain regions and facilitates the transition to compulsive alcohol drinking. J Neurosci 2015 Apr 15; 35:6241. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3302-14.2015);
6. May 4, 2015. Want to Stop Drinking? Don’t Smoke. Steven Dubovsky MD reviewing Leão RM et al. J Neurosci 2015 Apr 15. http://www.jwatch.org/na37661/2015/05/04/want-stop-drinking-dont-smoke?query=etoc_jwpsych#sthash.94sXS2T4.dpuf

Does alcohol use impact your grades?

Cups of beerFor many college students, it is important to maintain their best academic performance for a variety of reasons. After all, who doesn’t want good grades?  Good grades will lead to good opportunities, internships, good jobs, etc.

Even a small amount of alcohol can impact your grades.

First, a definition: Binge drinking (high risk for alcohol related problems) is defined as 4 or more drinks in one drinking occasion for women and 5 or more drinks for men; where a standard drink is 12 oz 5% beer, 5 oz wine, or 1.5 oz (1 shot of 80 proof liquor)   (1).

It has been shown that, compared to those who did NOT drink alcohol, binge drinking  2 or more times in a typical 2-week period was linked to significantly lower semester grades for both the  1st year and senior level students (2 ).  Translation: binge drinking lowers grades.

Another study shows that even drinking alcohol to the point of getting drunk has a negative predictive impact on your GPA (3).  Translation: even smaller amounts of alcohol could hurt your grades.

According to some evidence based guidelines, moderate drinking (low risk for alcohol problems) is defined as (a maximum) <1 drink per day for women and <2 drinks per day for men; with the gender difference being related to biology (4).

However, it is important to note that there is low risk use, there is no risk free amount of alcohol use.

Additionally, there are people who should not drink alcohol at all (4):

  • If you cannot limit drinking to low level or are recovering from alcoholism.
  • Women who may become pregnant or who are pregnant.
  • Individuals who plan to drive, operate machinery, or take part in other activities that require attention, skill, or coordination.
  • If you have certain medical conditions, sensitivity to alcohol, or are taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, you should check with your prescriber before drinking any alcohol.

Additionally, you are at high risk for addiction if you have a personal or family history of alcohol use disorders, and thus should not drink alcohol (5).

Having a healthy brain will help you be in the best position for success. Is alcohol impacting your grades? Is alcohol trying to control you? Are you unable to drink safely? At ccs.osu.edu, we have resources that can help.  Also consider the National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Referral Routing Service available at 1-800-662-HELP (6).

  1.  NIAAA council approves definition of binge drinking [PDF-1.6MB]. NIAAA Newsletter 2004;3:3.
  2.  Journal of College Student Development, 48(6), 715-727.
  3.  Wolaver, A. (2002). Effect of Heavy Drinking in College on Student Effort, Grade Point Average, and Major Choice. Contemporary Economic Policy, 20(4), 415-428.
  4. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. Chapter 3 – Foods and Food Components to Reduce [PDF-967KB]. 7th Edition, Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 2010, p. 30–32
  5. United States Department of Agriculture. Dietary guidelines for Americans 2005. Available at: www.health.gov/DIETARYGUIDELINES/dga2005/document/html/chapter9.htm
  6. http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/faqs.htm#standDrink. Accessed September, 2014.

Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes.  With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.