Keep Your Eyes Safe This Halloween

Don’t let your Halloween turn into a nightmare because of an eye infection. Decorative contact lenses are medical devices like other contact lenses. Wearing decorative contact lenses without being properly fitted by an eye care provider can lead to serious problems – ulcers (open sores), scratches, infection, and vision loss—and haunt you long after October 31. 3 Tips to Follow When Using Decorative Lenses 1. GET A PRESCRIPTION: Contact lenses acquired without wear and care education and a prescription are illegal and could lead to serious eye injury or infection. 2. CHECK YOUR BUYING SOURCE: Decorative contact lenses purchased from costume shops, online stores, beauty salons, drug stores, flea markets, or anywhere not issued by an eye doctor will not properly fit. 3. PROTECT YOUR EYES: One night is not worth your eye health. The best way to protect your eyes from potential complications is to talk to your eye doctor and learn about healthy contact lens wear and care habits. Celebrate virtually on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Look for and use the hashtag #OnePairTakeCare and/or #Halloween Check with your eye care providers for free tear-off pads that have important contact lens tips. By: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Alternatives to Drinking

Often times in college, we find ourselves surrounded by alcohol. Whether it’s at a party or just a few friends, peer pressure can often make us feel like we have to drink. It makes us feel like we may not be “cool” or accepted. Well, I’m here to tell you that there are other ways to have fun and party without really drinking.

1    Mocktails – Mocktails are a delicious alternative to actually consuming alcohol. You still get the fancy drink, without the burn or negative effects of consuming alcohol. There are hundreds of recipes online, or if you know of some, make it and just cut out the alcohol.

2    “Drinking” Games – Drinking games are one of the biggest ways you can binge drink, but they’re just so fun! Try replacing the “beer” in Beer Pong with juice, soda, or even water! #StayHydrated.

3    Throw Your Own Parties – This one is probably the easiest way to avoid drinking. If you find yourself sick and tired of being the DD for your friends, or you just hate being that person who has to hold someone’s hair while the projectile vomit, throw your own alcohol-free parties. Make some mocktails, play some “drinking” games and you and your friends will have a blast!

If none of these interest you, and you still choose to drink, that’s fine. Just make sure you are 21 years of age or older, and that you do it safely. Binge drinking never ends well, whether you wake up with a major hang over, or leave three sad voice-mails to your ex, something will go wrong. Even if you do drink, make sure you try out these three awesome alternatives to drinking.

By: Giselle Fagundes

Binge Drinking

Have you ever thought to yourself, “Oh just one more ____ can’t hurt?” How many of us have been guilty of this statement? This can be with anything, nothing in particular. But then take a step back to when you said this to yourself and that ‘just one more’ turned into 3-5 more than what we had planned?

In this case “Oh just one more drink can’t hurt”, is a statement that is said a little too often. More than not, that one more drink will turn into 3 or 5 more. Let us first ask ourselves, how many/much have you already consumed tonight?

Binge drinking is a problem that not a lot of people give credit to or think that it even happens that often. But let me reassure you with a few stats that the Center for Disease Control has come out with; More than 38 million US adults binge drink (that is not including all the underage drinkers), Binge Drinkers do so about 4 times a month, and the largest number of drinks per binge is on average about 8. Drinking too much, binging, causes about 80,000 deaths in the United States each year and recently accumulated, costed the economy about $223.5 billion.

Binge Drinking means that men have 5 or more alcoholic drinks within a short period of time and for women 4 or more.  You may then look at all the stats and say that this doesn’t apply to you or it is not within my age group but the age group with the most binge drinkers are 18-34-year old’s. That is us, the students of Salt Lake Community College. So when you go to that party tomorrow or next weekend, know your limit and think before you drink.

-By Brittany Parry