The last few weeks of the Spring semester are filled with excitement as classes wrap up, many prepare to graduate and numerous social events take place, including Clemson’s first two-day music festival. With all the social activity happening this time of the year, there may be times when you find yourself or others in a high-risk situation. Therefore, it’s important to take the steps below to celebrate safely.
Before you go out, PLAN AHEAD
- Choose a buddy and learn their phone number in case you can’t access your phone
- Plan how you will get home: sober driver, CATbus or rideshare
- Plan a meet-up spot in case you get separated
- Charge your phone, turn up the volume and check it frequently
- Download and familiarize yourself with the RAVE Guardian app
- Set a safety timer, so your friends know when you’ll be home
- Know the signs of alcohol poisoning:
- Vomiting
- Confusion
- Slow and/or irregular breathing
- Blue or pale skin
- Low body temperature
- Unconsciousness or inability to stay conscious
- Know the signs of opioid poisoning:
- Small, constricted “pinpoint pupils”
- Falling asleep or loss of consciousness
- Slow, shallow breathing
- Choking or gurgling sounds
- Limp body
- Pale, blue or cold skin
- Know where to access naloxone (Narcan®) in case of an opioid poisoning emergency. This life-saving medication can reverse opioid poisoning when given in time.
- ONEbox emergency opioid overdose kits can be found on campus in high-traffic areas near trauma kits. These kits store Narcan® and play a short video on how to administer it.
- Naloxone (Narcan®) is available through Healthy Campus, the Redfern Health Center Pharmacy and local health departments to those who want to have it on-hand in case of an emergency.
- FREE Narcan® and opioid test strips will be given out near Rhodes and Library Bridge on Thursday, April 18 from 1-3 p.m., a partnership between FAVOR Upstate, Healthy Campus and CUPD
- If you choose to drink:
- Plan not to exceed a certain number of drinks
- Eat before and during drinking
- Alternate with water
- Choose not to pre-game
While you’re out, STEP UP
- Socialize without needing to consume alcohol
- Hydrate with water to avoid heat exhaustion
- Check in with friends regularly
- Recognize when someone’s in trouble, and step up to help
- Call 911 if you need help to safely handle a situation
- If you choose to drink:
- Keep track of the number of drinks you consume
- Alternate with water
- Eat before and during drinking
- Know what’s in your drink
- Choose not to play drinking games
- Don’t pressure others to drink
At the end of the day, RETURN HOME SAFELY
- Never leave a friend behind
- Go with a group, don’t go alone
- Share a safe ride home with a sober driver
- If using a rideshare, Stop Ask Match Inform
- Let friends know you got home safely
- Use the safety timer in the RAVE Guardian app
- Call 911 immediately if someone is passed out and unresponsive
- Do not wait for all symptoms of alcohol poisoning to be present
- If you suspect someone has opioid poisoning, administer naloxone (Narcan®) after calling 911
- Keep the person awake and breathing
- Turn the person on their side
- Do not give the person any food or beverages
- Stay with the person until help arrives
- Remember MAP, Clemson’s Medical Amnesty Policy: students seeking assistance during an alcohol and/or drug-related emergency will not be charged or sanctioned for violations of the University’s alcohol and/or drug-related policies
To learn more, visit Student Health Services alcohol and other drugs website.