“The police officer said this was one of the worst cases he had seen,” said Derek Ranney. Like other college students, Ranney had excessive alcohol on his 21st birthday.
The beginning of the night started smoothly at an Irish pub, said Ranney. First a shot of Fireball, three rounds of Patron, a partial bottle of Jagermeister, then off to the next bar where the night fell short.
“In the hour and a half I was there, from about 9 o’clock to 10:30 p.m., I did 18 shots total,” said Ranney, while shaking his head, “but I only remember up until 13.”
Derek Ranney, is a junior chemical engineering student at Washington State University. Ranney doesn’t remember much that night, but explained that if he was coherent enough to make his own decisions, he would have gone to the hospital.
Ranney’s friends told the police they would take him to get medical attention themselves instead of paying for the ride in the ambulance. Instead, they took him to an apartment where he proceeded to throw up everywhere.
The next day, Ranney woke up with no recollection of where he was, nor any idea of where his shoes went. He finally went home where he passed out until later the next day.
“I never wanted to drink again,” said Ranney, with no smile upon his face.
Many people, like Ranney, drink excessive alcohol on their 21st birthday to follow the trend. The “21 for 21” ritual is common among college campuses, where students attempt to drink 21 alcoholic beverages on their birthday.
According to a 2008 study at the University of Missouri in an online ScienceDaily article, four out of five participants reported consuming alcohol on their 21st birthday.
“Of those participants, 34 percent of men and 24 percent of women reported consuming 21 drinks or more,” according to the article. Based on the survey information, researchers estimated 49 percent of men and 35 percent of women had blood alcohol contents of 0.26 or higher.
The study of more than 2,500 students appeared in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, which is published by the American Psychological Association
The article explained that an average woman would have to drink about seven drinks per hour to attain that blood alcohol content, while the average man would have to drink about 11 drinks. However, the study did not define the body type of the average man and woman that the researchers are referring to.
According to the study, Ranney’s blood alcohol content would have been close, if not higher, to a blood alcohol content of 0.26.
“Anything above a blood alcohol level of around 0.35 or 0.4 to 0.5 is the lethal limit,” said Dr. Rebecca Craft, a psychology professor at WSU, while referring to a BAL chart. However, it would also depend on the individual’s tolerance and body type, she said.
Impairment begins below the legal limit of 0.08, Dr. Craft said. Around that limit is also when the most positive alcohol effects are experienced, but when you start increasing your blood alcohol level, you start increasing and experiencing all the negative effects, she said.
A 21st birthday is a right of passage, said Dr. Craft, so it is not wrong to go out and drink. However, if a student decides to go celebrate, they should only have one really nice drink, she said while laughing.
“There is no significant danger in having a very small amount of alcohol,” said Dr. Craft.
Nicole Hicks, also a student at Washington State University, decided not to follow the trend and drink excessively on her big day. Instead, she went out with her friends, had her first legal drink, and took in the memories that she will remember forever.
“You only turn 21 once,” said Hicks, “It would be nice to remember it.”
“I didn’t want to go to that extreme on my birthday. I wanted to have fun and remember my night,” said Hicks, “Drinking 21 drinks in a span of hours does not sound fun to me.”
Ranney remembers his night through stories from his friends. Although he doesn’t regret his experiences, he hopes others will use more caution than he did.
“It is fun to go out and drink on your 21st, but you have to take it in moderation,” he said.
“Make sure you have a friend that you trust to be there to watch over you. If I didn’t have my friends taking care of me, I probably would have ended up in the hospital, or possibly worse.”
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Outline: - First Box--Lede: (Draw people into the story) Back alley way, Cops, Paramedics, Fire truck, Ambulance and throw up… How much did he have to drink?
- Second Box--Nut graf: (Summarize story) Tell about who the student is? The importance and danger of his story. (connecting him to other college students)
- Third Box--Body: (Second lead draws into body of the story) “21 for 21” college trend
- Forth Box--Supporting Information: (Rounds out the story) What is the study or trend? Percentages of study. Dangers of binge drinking. Another student who had fun without drinking to excess.
- Final Box--Kicker (powerful quote) How to prevent yourself (have a friend, and take it in moderation).
Featured College Student:
Derek J. Ranney
Phone number: 360.490.7568
Chemical Engineer Junior
Internet article:
American Psychological Association. "21st Birthday Binge Drinking Extremely Common; Can Pose Serious Health Hazards." ScienceDaily 20 May 2008. 22 March 2010
Psychology Professor:
Rebecca M. Craft, Ph.D.
Johnson Twr 233
Phone Number: 509.335.5040
craft@wsu.edu
Other student:
Nicole Hicks
Phone number: 253.468.2178
Asian Studies Junior
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