Yes, the time of jump scares, spiders, ghouls and ghosts is almost upon us. The very idea of Halloween may cover your skin with goosebumps or may send your mind spinning with thoughts of Halloweekend! Or maybe neither. That’s ok, too. Has anyone else noticed that the weather seems to be all over the place as of late? Raining all weekend. High 70s the next few days, then freezing, then pouring rain. Kind of spooky, don’t you think? Maybe even superstitious…
But in all seriousness, as Halloween weekend approaches and the occasional thought of partying in various costumes arrives, allow me to shed some light on some harm reduction strategies and resources we have on campus. Halloweekend may be fun, and you may or may not plan to party, but here are some tips to help you do that carefully.
Four Signs
Not 6. Not 13. No superstition here. However, four signs of what exactly? Well, alcohol poisoning. If you’ve ever used or heard of the acronym C.U.P.S., let’s talk about that in terms of Halloween.
Let’s start with the first letter: C.
Scary skeletons may send shivers down your spine, but so can the weather and as it continues to drop it can often be hard to tell if you are suffering from cold or clammy skin from too much alcohol consumption, or if you are just cold. Alcohol gives off this feeling of being warm since the liver is metabolizing it; however, as it does this, your core body temperature is actually lowering! So while you may feel warm on the inside, your body temperature is anything but. And again, this can be hard to tell especially if the temperature outdoors matches your body temperature, so be sure to keep track of how much you’ve drank.
Now for the second letter: U.
There’s all sorts of fake decorations and costumes that look wildly real around this time of year. Sometimes you may fall for it and be quite shocked when they are unresponsive to your questions or advances until they scare you! However, this can also apply to alcohol poisoning! Being unresponsive could mean anything from unconsciousness, inability for you to respond to someone or for someone to respond to you. So instead of assuming that the person is pulling a cruel prank on you, just be cautious and be aware.
Next: P.
Now, I don’t know about y’all, but when I was younger Halloween was that one time of year where kids would eat sweets ridiculously until they either vomited or their teeth rotted. So, of course, the most common sign of alcohol poisoning: puking. This is your body’s attempt at exorcising all of that alcohol from your system, by throwing it all backup. Not to mention, repeated puking can also rot your teeth, kind of like candy, except this time it will be corroding your teeth because you’re constantly throwing up. Now, alcohol is like candy: enjoy some on occasion and in moderation, but don’t binge until your body can only projectile to try to slow down it’s absorption into your bloodstream.
Lastly in our main acronym, we have the S’s.
Now, in those horror movies that you may watch during this time of year on your own or with your friends, sometimes the killers breathe super slowly right into the microphone…to signal how close they are to the victim.
Unfortunately, I can’t think of any other Halloween-related ideas to for the other two ‘S’ signs, which are slurred speech and seizures. However, on these late Halloween nights, these could also be signs that someone has indeed consumed more than they are able. (If you ever see someone suffering from a seizure, call 911!)
OH WAIT! Don’t go yet my lovelies, there’s one more. A secret one. A silent one. Our lovely E.
Some people get all into their costumes, they dance and pretend, and you would never guess anything otherwise. However, if this person has consumed too much, their inhibitions have lowered. They may do and say things that when sober they wouldn’t. That’s right my spooky friends, the E is for erratic behavior. This could be aggressive behavior or just uncharacteristically wild behavior. Either way, these are signs that someone may not be doing OK.
Now that you know the signs, if you see someone experiencing alcohol poisoning, call for help:
- 911
- 315.443.2224 (Department of Public Safety)
Harm Reduction
Does anyone notice how in scary movies they always make the same silly mistakes? Their phone is dead… they have no way to get home… their friends coerce them into doing things they don’t want to do… etc., etc. Well all of these things are things that you can also avoid to have a safe night. Make sure your phone is charged, so you can call for help or call an Uber or the Safety Escort Shuttles through Parking & Transportation Services (315.443.7433). Plan for a safe way home, so you don’t end up stranded. Don’t let people coerce you into drinking alcohol. This is supposed to be a fun week and weekend, and this will help by making it even more so.
Now as fun as Halloween weekend should and most likely will be, you can keep all of this in mind. If you want to learn more, go visit the Wellness Leadership Institute to register for presentations and acquire some more knowledge before or even after your Halloween celebrations. For those of you Halloween babies, sign up for the 21st Birthday Project to acquire some more harm reduction strategies before or after your especially spooky day. Finally, if you see any suspicious behavior on Halloween weekend, you can call DPS (315.443.2224) to report it as well.
But until then, Happy Halloween, everyone, and remember stay spooky, stay scary, and most importantly stay safe.
Written by Wynter Chaverst ’23, College of Arts & Sciences