Question: Does it matter what kind of alcohol you drink if you’re pacing yourself?

Answer by acting UHS co-coordinator Amy Havasi: Yes! Remember that beer, wine and hard liquor all contain differing percentages of alcohol. “One drink” refers to 12 oz. of beer at 5 percent alcohol, 4 oz. wine at 12 percent alcohol, or 1.5 oz. hard liquor at 80 percent alcohol. Remembering these equivalencies will help when you’re pacing your drinking to one drink or less per hour.

Pacing your drinking is a good way to stay safe and still have fun. Here at NIU, 76 percent of students recently surveyed said they always or usually protect themselves either by pacing their drinking or using another “safer drinking” tip.

Here are a few more tips identified by NIU students to stay safe and have fun while partying:

1. Determine in advance how many drinks you will have.

2. Keep track of how much you drink.

3. Choose to “party” without alcohol.

4. Avoid drinking games.

By practicing the above mentioned tips, students can enjoy a safer partying experience while still having fun.

Question: I want to quit smoking but could use some support. Does NIU have any resources to help me?

Answer by health educator Mary Strohm: NIU offers a quit-smoking program for students called Xtreme Air. The Xtreme Air program is available to students free of charge through Health Enhancement Services, part of the University Health Service.

The Xtreme Air program offers a one-on-one approach to help students develop a quitting program and learn successful strategies to stay nicotine free. The program involves two steps. First, a student can stop by Health Services between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to watch a video called “Butt Out.” No appointment is necessary, but allow at least 45 minutes for the first visit. Then, the student can schedule an appointment with a tobacco cessation specialist to set a quit date, discuss behavioral strategies to quitting and/or determine if any nicotine replacement products would be helpful in achieving the quit goal.

Xtreme Air provides different approaches to smoking cessation that depend on whether a student wants to go “cold turkey” or quit in stages over a particular length of time. In the first meeting with a smoking cessation coach, the student will be presented with behavior modification strategies to make the quitting process easier. These strategies include tips on identifying triggers, preventing/coping with urges, changing daily patterns, staying busy and remaining motivated to achieve goals.

Nicotine replacement therapies are medications that provide nicotine without the other harmful components of cigarette smoke. NRT products enable the user to gradually reduce physical nicotine dependency, thereby allowing more focused efforts on breaking some of the habitual and psychological dependencies of smoking.

Students enrolled in Xtreme Air are entitled to a limited supply of the nicotine gum or the patch to try out if interested. Both the gum and the patch are available without a prescription in brand name and generic forms and can be purchased at most local pharmacies.

The Xtreme Air program has been well-received by students at NIU. Research shows that participating in a stop-smoking program and using nicotine replacement products can greatly increase a person’s chances of successfully kicking the habit.

For more information about the Xtreme Air program or to set up an appointment to meet with a smoking cessation coach, call 753-9748 or 753-9755.

This column is for NIU students to get information about personal health issues. These are real questions NIU students have asked the staff at the Health Services. The information provided here should not replace medical care. Consult your practitioner whenever you have questions. Amy Havasi, a health educator, and Mary Callaghan, a graduate assistant, prepared the column and interview appropriate UHS clinical and preventive staff. To submit questions or comments, send mail to Health Enhancement Services c/o Steve Lux, leave a voice-mail at 735-9746 or e-mail [email protected].