A different spin on the bottle

‘How to Maximize Your Buzz’ presents alcohol facts, alternatives

By Whitten Maher, contributing writer
Posted on October 25, 2007

As Will Ferrell’s character says in “Old School”: “Once it hits your lips, it’s so good.”

That might be why 1,700 college students died last year in alcohol-related situations. This was one of many interesting — and useful — facts presented in Monday night’s event “How to Maximize Your Buzz,” coordinated by JMU’s University Program Board and the Office of Health Promotion to kickoff National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week.

It’s safe to say that many JMU students are acutely aware of alcohol’s presence at JMU. But “How to Maximize Your Buzz” encouraged a different approach to drinking. The seminar was led by Joe Urbanski of Collegiate EmPowerment Inc., a non-profit educational organization founded in 1995.

Energetic and engaging, Urbanski started off with a series of jokes, breaking the ice and setting the tone for the night.

The format was decidedly anti-lecture: prizes were handed out for audience participation and clips from “Old School” and “The Matrix” were shown to illustrate points. In the middle of the seminar, fifth-year student Amanda Deutinger won three prizes at once, to which she enthusiastically shouted “Holler!”

“[The seminar was] really awesome,” Deutinger said. “It was entertaining and caught people’s attention.”

The night began with some fun facts about alcohol, such as the fact that a six-pack has the equivalent toxicity of six pounds of bleu cheese. A poster of Homer Simpson, triumphant with his frosty mug, was projected on the screen.

But while students laughed at a slide packed with myriad of synonyms for “drunk,” the night was not all fun and games. A slide which showed the effects of alcohol started at the top, in bright orange, with “relaxation,” the list darkening ultimately to black as it ended in “death.” When asked if they knew someone involved in an alcohol-related accident, almost everyone in the raised their hands; less than a dozen raised their hands when asked if there was anyone who chose not to drink.

The overarching message of the evening was not abstinence from drinking, but rather responsible drinking. While many had heard this tagline before, Urbanski gave more than the traditional advice, going deeper and telling students that “alcohol is not about drinking; it’s about who you are.”

He said that like JMU he does not condone underage drinking, but  as long as some students choose to drink they should do it safely. In bringing the seminar to campus, JMU also accepts that realistic goal of education.

“Our office takes the approach that if students are going to drink, they should have the tools to reduce risk and be responsible,” said Kristin Gardener, an associate director for health promotion with OHP.

Urbanski outlined the benefits of maintaining a healthy buzz over full-blown intoxication: a better buzz, no hangover and a better bar bill. More important than those points, he said, were the underlying health and emotional benefits of not getting consistently plastered. According to him, if students do choose to drink, then they should be able to do with “response-ability”: the ability to respond quickly to your surroundings which fades quickly during a night of heavy drinking.

“How to Maximize Your Buzz” provided JMU with an auspicious beginning to National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week, which coincides with JMU’s Homecoming Week this year.

But at a school where the student population drinks an average of 8.2 alcoholic drinks a week (according to a recent report by Madison’s Office of Substance Abuse Research), there are also many other activities to pursue. Urbanski’s “Never Get Bored List,” which offered alternatives to drinking, mirrored newly elected SGA President Lee Brooks’ proposed pamphlet boasting “50 things to do at JMU besides drinking and partying.”

While JMU students have a solid reputation for their party-going ways, ensuring that does not become the college’s defining trait is always a concern.

“JMU has a great reputation as an institution of higher learning,” said Ann Simmons, coordinator of health promotion with OHP. “We wouldn’t want to be a school where students are coming because of our rankings in an alcohol survey.”

Overall, reaction to the program was enthusiastic and Urbanski connected well with the students.

“I really enjoyed it,” sophomore Michelle Carroll said. “I think it’s great they are showing that drinking can be positive.”

Junior Thomas Webb also appreciated the new twist that the seminar offered on the message of responsible drinking.

“The program offered a refreshing standpoint,” he said. “It’s good that JMU’s being proactive in bringing things like this to campus.”