Alcohol message targets co-eds

    PRESQUE ISLE – Healthy Aroostook, a project of the Aroostook County Action Program, will present alcohol awareness events at the University of Maine at Presque Isle and Northern Maine Community College in May as part of a $5,000 United Way of Aroostook grant it received to provide the area’s college-age population with more information and resources concerning substance abuse.     “Let’s Party! An Alcohol Awareness Event” will be held on Tuesday, May 5, at UMPI’s Campus Center, and on Thursday, May 7, at NMCC, in the Edmunds and Christie buildings. Both events will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and will include a free lunch, an afternoon keynote speaker, mocktails in the evening and an outdoor dance featuring a D.J. At each event, drawings will be held to give away five $50 prizes, including the winner’s choice of a gas card or a certificate to the Aroostook Centre Mall or Wal-Mart. NMCC and UMPI students are welcome to attend activities at both institutions.
    The event will provide students with engaging and informative activities just prior to graduation festivities while allowing organizers to inform area students about alcohol consumption, underage and binge drinking, operating under the influence and the medical complications associated with alcoholism.
    “Working in college health for the last 18 years, I have seen many students who aren’t successful in their academic programs related to excessive alcohol consumption,” Linda Mastro, the nurse practitioner who runs the health centers at UMPI and NMCC, said. “Alcohol and extensive partying take valuable time away from their studies. Many students do not reach their potential due to alcohol use.”
    According to Carol Bell, of Healthy Aroostook, 46 percent of 18- to 25-year-olds in Maine reported binge drinking within the past month, which is higher than the national average of 42 percent. Bell said that a troubling fact is that those who drink appear to be engaging in more risky behaviors by drinking large amounts of alcohol in a single episode.
    “One of our concerns with binge drinking is the risk of alcohol poisoning,” Bell said. “Alcohol poisoning is more common than many people think. Students need to know the risks of heavy drinking and the signs of alcohol poisoning, and we hope they’ll come to these alcohol awareness events to learn more.”
    For more information about this event or for specific activity locations, contact Mastro at 768-9586 or 768-2803.