Special to the Flash<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s that time of year again!\u00a0 The holidays are fast approaching and many students are looking forward to partaking in various activities with their families.\u00a0 Many of these activities will involve eating, drinking and being merry, but too much of either of these can result in weight gain, injury or even death.<\/p>\n According to Centers for Disease Control , increased pressures from family, numerous parties and financial obligations increase during the holidays and lead many to use alcohol to deal with stress.\u00a0 However, this behavior can put you, your family and others in danger.<\/p>\n The CDC lists the following negative effects of binge drinking:<\/p>\n \u2022 Motor vehicle crashes. Jackson State University give these tips on staying responsible drinking during the holidays.<\/p>\n Corvis Willis, a freshman civil engineering major from Raymond, Miss. said, \u201cI call somebody and tell them to pick me up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you know that you will be extremely intoxicated, you should have a designated driver,\u201d said Monique Smith, a senior biology\/pre-med major from Jackson, Miss. \u201cDon\u2019t think you should drive yourself if you drink past your limits.\u201d<\/p>\n Lawrence Williams,a junior criminal justice major from Jackson, Miss. said, \u201cDrink in a familiar area, and never leave your drink unattended.\u201d \u2022 Choose not to binge drink and help others not to do it. Those who believe that there is no harm in overindulging during this time should know that according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), deaths from drinking and driving spike around the holidays, with alcohol being blamed for about 52 percent of fatal collisions on Christmas and 57 percent on New Year\u2019s compared to a rate of 41 percent for the entire year. In addition to the more than 1,200 alcohol-related deaths that will occur on the road this holiday season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that more than 25,000 people will be injured.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Special to the Flash It\u2019s that time of year again!\u00a0 The holidays are fast approaching and many students are looking forward to partaking in various…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_plus_post_options":"{}","editor_plus_copied_stylings":"{}","_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/771"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/771\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u2022 Violence against others and sexual assaults.
\n\u2022 Risky sexual behaviors that can lead to HIV, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and unintended pregnancy.
\n\u2022 Alcohol poisoning.
\n\u2022 Babies born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
\n\u2022 Over time, binge drinking can lead to liver disease, certain cancers, heart disease, and other chronic diseases.<\/p>\n
\nThe CDC offers this advice for avoiding the negative effects of alcohol overindulgence:<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Avoid mixing alcohol with energy drinks, which can mask the depressant effects of alcohol.
\n\u2022 Avoid drinking and driving.
\n\u2022 Avoid purchasing or serving alcohol to children and teenagers.
\n\u2022 Choose not to drink if you are pregnant, or may become pregnant.
\n\u2022 Talk with health care providers about their drinking behavior and request counseling if you drink too much.
\n\u2022 Participate in community efforts to prevent binge drinking.<\/p>\n