Student drinking experiment aired on Lancaster TV

In Pa., the current legal level of intoxication is .10 blood alcohol content (BAC). However, state legislators are proposing to lower the legal definition of intoxication to .08 BAC in an effort to curb the dangers of alcohol. A local news station based in Lancaster, WGAL-TV (Channel 8) recently conducted an experiment with several local young adults in their early 20s to illustrate the effects of alcohol. On camera, a group of three persons, two of whom were Elizabethtown College students, were asked to drink until they reached the .10 BAC level defined as "drunk." It was proposed that these students would be visibly inebriated before they got to .10 BAC. The results of the study were aired on WGAL at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21.

Senior Elizabeth "Lizzy" Outsen and her roommate Junior Erin McLaine took part in the study on, Nov. 12. A third participant, a male resident of Mt. Joy who does not attend the College, joined them for the experiment. The College became involved in the project when WGAL-TV contacted the Office of College Relations seeking volunteers willing to take part in the experiment. Outsen, a College Relations student employee offered her assistance and Cara O’Donnell, associate director of college relations, drove Outsen and McLaine to the station and back again to "keep an eye on things and to make sure both were okay throughout the process," she said.

The goal of the study was to evaluate the difference between the current level of intoxication and the proposed reduced limit and to see how intoxicated a person is at the current .10 BAC level. Originally, five persons were asked to participate, though only three showed up on the day of taping. They each had different heights and weights and also different histories of drinking. Outsen had actually just turned 21 the previous week. The participants were escorted to a room in the studio and greeted by a state police trooper and news anchorwoman Janelle Stelson who conducted interviews with students throughout the experiment. The state trooper conducted a variety of sobriety tests including walking in a straight line, before, during and after consuming alcohol.

Participants were evaluated constantly and taped as they drank mixed drinks and beer, all of which were carefully measured and recorded. Participants were also given a Breathalyzer test throughout the process to measure their BAC level at various points throughout the day. On the average, participants drank four to five drinks per hour for approximately three hours or until they reached the .10 BAC level.

The study provided some interesting results. Outsen noted that after reaching the .05 BAC, level she could hardly walk. However, she said that McLaine and the other participant admitted that though they wouldn’t want to, they believe that they could have driven at the .10 BAC level. Outsen says that as a result of her participation in the study, she has learned that the experiment "proves that the numbers are arbitrary and mean nothing." The numbers cannot be a true reading of how different persons are going to feel or behave at different levels, she said. Body type, history of drinking and many other factors come into play when determining the reaction of individuals. In addition, individuals react differently when they are considered "drunk" as Outsen reported that she began to get "silly" after her last drink, but others did not exhibit a behavior change until at least a half hour after their last drink.

The College, specifically the Resident Directors Association, may be looking into using the results of this study as a "public service" program to educate students on the dangers of excessive drinking.