<![CDATA[The Octagon]]> <![CDATA[The Octagon]]> /Portals/2/logos/__TFMF_j0ac4l55b1adzh45vuswhx45_848d2720-07e3-49d7-b7b4-c9f8c837fc39_0___Selected.jpg en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Sun, 26 May 2013 03:36:26 GMT 15 <![CDATA[Call an ambulance and save a life]]> By Staff

Cartoon by Nora Miller

Eighty percent of surveyed students want an ambulance if they have alcohol poisoning, and 46 percent of students have been with someone who needed one. So why are no ambulances being called for people with alcohol poisoning when their lives are in danger? (See Centerpoint, pp. 6-7) Many students mistakenly think they are helping their poisoned friends by staying with them as they throw up, feeding them bread and putting them to sleep. In most cases, the person will be okay, but there is a chance their alcohol poisoning will kill them. Injury is the leading cause of death among young people in the U.S., and alcohol is the leading contributor to injury deaths, according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). In the U.S, an average of 5,000 people under age 21 die each year from underage drinking. That may seem like a small number compared to the estimated 10.8 million underage drinkers, (according to the NIAAA), but one of those 5,000 could be the person you decided could just sleep off their alcohol poisoning. And if you’re worried about getting in trouble or people not liking you, you’re the one being selfish. The 20 percent of students who said they wouldn’t want an ambulance called if they had alcohol poisoning said it’s because they are afraid of getting in trouble. Yes, if you are under 18, your parents will be notified if you go to the hospital. But what’s worse—getting in trouble or dying of alcohol poisoning? If you’re throwing the party and don’t want people calling an ambulance because your parents would get mad, think of the situation you and your parents would be in if someone died. Not only will you have the emotional guilt to face, but you may also have to pay millions of dollars in damages. So next time you’re partying and someone shows signs of alcohol poisoning, call an ambulance, especially if that person is unconscious. Or at least call the Poison Control Center so they can tell you what to do. ]]> Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:44:58 GMT