Interactive show educates students about alcohol use

Samantha Sigler

Students filled every inch of Ice Auditorium to watch an interactive comedy show about alcohol awareness April 13.

The performing comedians were Patrick McIntyre and Bryce Wissel, who did their best to make learning about being safe while drinking fun for students.

“Today we’re going to talk about booze,” Wissel said to open the show.

The show began with splitting the audience in half and having one side shout “who likes to party,” while the other half responded, “we like to party.”

Once the audience was warmed up, the hosts called freshman Tyler Miller on stage to wear “beer goggles” that simulated having a .25 blood alcohol level. He was asked to perform simple tasks, such as catching a ball and walking a straight line, which was clearly hard while wearing the goggles.

“Alcohol affects all your senses,” McIntyre said.

The two hosts went on to explain that alcohol affects both your mind and body.

“Whether or not you choose to drink is nobody’s business,” both McIntyre and Wissel said.

The two hosts listed multiple tips and tricks for students who do choose to drink throughout their show. The list included staying hydrated, going slow, clearing your schedule for the next day, staying with people you trust, not mixing alcohol and medication, and deleting ex’s numbers from your cell phone.

Throughout the show, the hosts asked students from the audience to participate in interactive games on stage. Such games included the “body organ dating show,” in which two students were asked to answer questions for a $50 gift card.

“I thought it was great that they approached the subject with a good combination of humor and seriousness,” sophomore Rachel Axtman said. “It [made] it easy to relate to and keep everyone into it.”

Axtman was asked to go on stage to act out a scene in which McIntyre pretended to be an intoxicated friend embarrassing himself.

“I thought that the way they took direction from the students was very funny and creative,” Axtman said. “I don’t know that it has changed any of my ideas about alcohol, but I think that it was a good reminder about the risks for everyone.”

The hosts also touched on the dangers of binge drinking and assault while people are intoxicated.

They asked students to think of CAGE whenever they are concerned about someone who may be drinking too much. CAGE stands for cutting back, acting aggressive, feeling guilty and having eye-opening moments.

Later, the hosts explained that bodies can only metabolize one drink per hour and all the ways alcohol affects the brain.

Students were asked to also participate in a game where they had to stop Wissel from driving drunk, and two students with the best answers won $50 gift cards once again.

“If you are going to drink, you don’t have to be a dumbass about it,” Wissel said.

 

Samantha Sigler/New Editor

Samantha Sigler can be reached at [email protected]