February has been a bad month for alcohol and alcohol related hospital transports at Colorado State University- Pueblo.

In a campus wide email sent out on Feb. 14, Associate Dean of Student Services and Enrollment Management, Marjorie Villani said, “During the past 12 days, three Colorado State University- Pueblo students have been transported to Parkview Hospital for alcohol poisoning.”

“Each student was being carried into the residence hall by other students for the purpose of putting the student in bed. All three students are here with us today because of the quick response of residence hall staff who observed these actions and took steps to call for the appropriate staff to assess for alcohol poisoning,” Villani said.

Like most colleges and universities, CSU- Pueblo has students who go out on the weekends and drink excessive amounts of alcohol, causing drunkenness.

There are very dangerous risks that come along with drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and alcohol poisoning can cause death.

“I feel like alcohol poisoning is definitely something that can be avoided if students are more educated about it,” Kacey Griffin, a senior business major, said.

Students are growing cautious with the effects of alcohol and seem to be taking this issue more seriously.

“I have been hearing a whole bunch about this alcohol poisoning stuff in the residence halls and I feel like you just have to be careful and surround yourself with responsible friends, but you yourself have to responsible as well,” Mario Ruiz, sophomore, Spanish major, said.

“People shouldn’t be afraid to intervene when they see their friends or someone else drinking irresponsibly. When you see something like that, how fast you react could save someone’s life with just a trip to the hospital,” Tyrone Holt, a senior cellular and molecular biology and sociology double major, said.

According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, “New legislation protects underage drinkers from prosecution if they call 911 with an alcohol related emergency.”

This means, students can call 911 to get their friends help and they will not be in trouble for underage drinking.

It’s time to educate students on the signs and symptoms of alcohol poisoning; this could help save a life.

If any of the following symptoms are present after alcohol intake, please call for help.

According to Mayo Clinic, alcohol poisoning symptoms may include: confusion, vomiting, seizures, slow breathing (less than eight breaths a minute), irregular breathing, blue-tinged skin or pale skin, low body temperature (hypothermia), unconsciousness (passing out) and can’t be roused.

Being unconscious with high blood alcohol levels is dangerous and can lead to death.

“If you’re going to drink just make sure you’re aware of your limits, it only takes that one last drink to put you over your limit. Just be careful,” Holt said.

If a student or a friend is struggling with alcohol abuse, contact the CSU-Pueblo Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Program at 549-2121.