The hidden costs behind drinking, underage or not, can be more than that 75-cent Natty. They could include $1,000 in fines, a college education or even someone’s life.

Faith Yingling from the University’s Wellness Connection, a lifestyle enhancement, information and referral center located at the Student Recreation Center, works with students mostly on prevention of alcohol and drug use.

“At the Wellness Connection we like to keep students aware of what the consequences of underage drinking are,” Yingling said. “Obviously alcohol poisoning is something every college student’s sure be aware of, whether it’s being able to recognize the signs and symptoms, or what someone should do if they see someone with alcohol poisoning.”

The most common symptoms of alcohol poisoning are unconsciousness, slow breathing, pale or bluish skin and vomiting. The other consequences that most students seem to ignore is that when they drink, they have a higher risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection, not properly using condoms, sexual assault, pregnancy, violence and disorientation, according to Yingling.

“What may seem like a regular sized drink to a college student is the majority of the time very different to what an actual sized drink is. A long island iced tea isn’t one drink, it’s five. Five drinks is considered binge drinking,” Yingling said. “What we try to do is to provide students with education on what alternatives they have to drinking.”

The most common penalty for underage drinking includes being put on probation, now known as community control, until the minor reaches the age of 21, as well as being subject to mandatory and random drug testing. The minor will receive other penalties if they are caught drinking or possessing alcohol, entering a bar of any kind before turning 21, or getting a traffic infraction involving alcohol, according to a spokesperson for the probation department at the Bowling Green Municipal Court.

The maximum penalty for underage drinking is $1,000 and 180 days in jail, per offense, although penalties may be more severe if the minor has a preexisting criminal record, according to a spokesperson for the Municipal Court. The University also enforces the underage drinking laws.

Each decision a student makes can greatly impact their future, according to the University Department of Public Safety website. Choices relating to alcohol can affect safety, academics, health, relationships and the lives of others in the community.

Alcohol use results in sexual assaults, increases in vandalism, discipline problems, decreases in academic performance, injuries, medical problems, deaths including overdoses, suicides, traffic fatalities, impaired driving abilities and physical and psychological dependency, absence from work, erratic job performance, safety hazards and a decrease in job productivity, are just a few problems experienced by persons who are impaired by using alcohol and other drugs.

For more information and advice go to the Alcohol & Drugs section of the University Department of Public Safety website at http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/safety/.