While some freshmen may look forward to drinking during college weekends, they should be aware of the damage they will be doing to their brain.

“Your brain is still growing until you are 21 years old so there could be major brain damage,” said Mary Jon Ludy, assistant professor in the Dietetics and Family and Consumer Sciences Department. “Students’ first experience with alcohol is typically in college, so they may not know their limit yet.”

Incoming freshmen are breaking away from their home environment and living by themselves, so naturally they are curious about alcohol, Ludy said.

Students don’t realize drinks with hard liquor have higher levels of alcohol than a beer of the same size, said Faith Yingling, director of Wellness.

“One 8 oz malt drink, which could be a Jack and Coke drink, is the equivalent to four shots,” Yingling said.

When drinking a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time, students need to think about grades, alcohol poisoning and long-term brain effects, Ludy said.

Senior Erin Elias, 21, tries to focus mostly on her grades without letting her social life interfere too much.

“I just drink because everyone else does it and I know that sounds bad, but it helps me loosen up, allowing me to have a better time while I’m out,” she said. “I was always on a tight leash when I was growing up and my parents always told me to make my own decisions but beware of the consequences.”

Junior Bailey Simon, 21, learned the consequences of drinking alcohol the hard way when her grades started to slip.

“My freshmen and sophomore year I used to drink every weekend,” Simon said.

She noticed an overall drop in performance in her studies since she began to drink, leading to her decision to tone the drinking down.

“I usually don’t really have to study a lot but I’ve been noticing, especially this past year, I needed to study more than usual because I don’t remember stuff as well,” Simon said.

Because she would consume alcohol four days of the week for almost 30 weeks her first two years of college, she lost brain cells because of high levels of alcohol toxins.

“The brain will move at a slower pace and will have trouble remembering things because the damage being done to it,” Ludy said.

Both Yingling and Ludy want to remind students that there are alternatives to drinking on the weekend.

Students could volunteer to be a designated driver for the night, drink water in between drinks or limit themselves to two drinks a night, Yingling said.

Yingling also said students can participate in activities the University provides, which students can find out about through campus update emails and on the University website.

“Being involved in campus organizations can also take up time and be a fun thing to participate in on weekends,” Ludy said.

Another main reason Elias refrains from drinking a lot is because she doesn’t want to make stupid decisions.

“I’ve seen too many of my friends wake up in the morning confused and upset at dumb things they did the night before,” she said. “I would never want that for myself.”

Instances of poor decision-making students could be a part of if they aren’t careful may involve sexual assault, injuries, suicide attempts and alcohol poisoning, Ludy said.

Alcohol poisoning occurs when someone drinks a large amount quickly in a short amount of time, Ludy said.

Call 911 and make sure the person is positioned on his or her side to avoid choking on vomit, she said.

Drinking water in-between alcoholic beverages will help students avoid this, Ludy said. She also said food acts as a way to sober up.

Elias said not drinking as much as her friends, who drink five times a week, is one of the best decisions she’s made.

“Letting my social life get in the way of my school work just because it’s what everyone does in college is not worth it,” Elias said. “We are here for school, not to drink every night of the week.”