 "Photo: Courtesy of Erica Upshaw")
 "Photo: Courtesy of Erica Upshaw")
College students earn bragging rights for completing the bar crawl at Ohio State or taking 21 shots on your 21st birthday. T-shirts and bathroom autographs celebrate "crawlers" and there are three Facebook groups alone dedicated to those who have managed 21 shots.
According to an e-mail sent by the Student Wellness Center, a woman who drinks 21 shots over 4 hours will have a BAC greater than .60, a man will have a BAC of greater than .40. Death is possible at .40.
Erica Upshaw, an alumna of OSU, knows the dangers of drinking firsthand.
"My brother was 22 when he died," she said. "After a night of drinking at the bars there was an after hours party at his fraternity. One of the big drugs at the time was GHB, it's in liquid form and when you drink with it, it enhances your buzz. It's common to pass out and people normally wake up, but my brother didn't."
When her brother, Joseph Upshaw, died April 21, 2000, he was a senior at OSU and she was a sophomore.
The next year, Erica decided to take action. She joined with the Student Wellness Center and wrote a letter explaining the dangers of heavy drinking. Her letter is now e-mailed to every student before their 21st birthday.
"The primary goal of the e-mail is to reduce alcohol poisoning deaths that occur on 21st birthdays," said Karen Donnelly, wellness coordinator for the Student Wellness Center.
Donnelly said 21st birthdays are a common time for heavy drinking and alcohol poisoning.
About 1,400 college students die each year from alcohol related incidents, Upshaw said.
"You don't really think you can die, but I know all too well that it can happen," she said.
Alcohol poisoning is when the nervous system begins to depress and there is a lack of oxygen. Donnelly said signs of alcohol poisoning are when someone is passed out, vomiting in an unconscious or semi-conscious state, has slow or irregular breathing or feels cold or clammy.
"In any other condition anyone would call an ambulance," she said. "But because it's due to alcohol people for some reason don't do that. People don't realize this is life threatening. If someone is unconscious and you cannot rouse them it is a medical emergency."
Upshaw said for many it feels like a normal part of college and a rite of passage to go overboard on their 21st.
"Joey was a typical college kid," she said. "He was an honors student and he had a lot of friends. But he made a bad decision."
She said her mom got the idea to write a letter to students on their 21st birthday from the Be Responsible About Drinking campaign at Michigan State.
"Brad McCue was a junior and a soccer player at MSU who passed away from doing 21 shots on his birthday. When my mom found out about it we decided to create our own campaign for Joey on campus," Upshaw said.
Donnelly said about 5,000 students receive the e-mail each year.
Leslie Hosgood, a junior in history, got the e-mail a few weeks ago when she turned 21.
"I did go out for my 21st," she said. "But I knew my limits and I had good friends around me who could take care of me."
Upshaw said it is fine for students to drink, but to be responsible about their decision.
"Don't feel like alcohol defines your birthday," Upshaw said. "If you want to drink, then drink. But don't feel like you have to do 21 shots or drink so much that you might make a bad decision like my brother Joey did. Decide ahead of time to be in control, and you'll be surprised at how easy it can be. It just takes a conscious effort to be safe."
Kacia Strous can be reached at strous.8@osu.edu.
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