Health and Wellness Information
On This Page
Alcohol, and Other Drugs
Alcohol
- A psychoactive drug that is the main ingredient in beer, wine, and liquor that acts a depressant.
- Standard drink sizes:
- Beer: 12 oz
- Malt Liquor (Four Loko, Smirnoff drinks, etc.): 8 oz
- Wine: 5 oz
- Distilled Spirits: 1.5 oz.
- It’s common for alcoholic beverages served at restaurants and bars to be larger than the standard drink sizes. Sometimes one drink served can be the equivalent to 2-3 standard drinks.
- Binge drinking: 5 drinks in 2 hours for men, 4 drinks in 2 hours for women.
- Alcohol Poisoning: essentially an alcohol overdose. So much alcohol is in the bloodstream that areas of the brain that are responsible for basic life-support functions begin to shut down.
Categories of Drugs
- Uppers: stimulate the Central Nervous System
- Downers: depress the Central Nervous System
- “All-Arounders”: Cause individuals to experience extreme euphoria, distorted perceptions, and hallucinations.
Prescription Drug Use
- Mixing prescription medication with alcohol can be life threatening. Many prescription medications react in the same areas of your brain as alcohol, which can cause basic life-support functions to shut down very quickly.
Pirate Party Principles:
- We know you’re going to go to parties, we just want to help you stay safe when you do.
- The Pirate Party Principles:
- Watch your drink
- Travel in groups
- Know your limits
- Designate a driver
- Protect your fellow pirates
- Following the Pirate Party Principles will help ensure your safety when you go out!
Nutrition
Free Recipes and Cooking Demos
Beverages:
Vegetarian:
Entrees:
Moderation
- EVERYTHING IS OKAY IN MODERATION.
- Eating healthy can be difficult in college, so it’s important to maintain a healthy balance.
- Try to eat nutrient dense foods rather than foods with empty calories.
- Drink plenty of water. Our body’s thrive when we’re adequately hydrated.
- Be mindful your portion sizes. When we go to a restaurant and order a meal, the portions can be larger than the recommended sizes.
- Give yourself plenty of time to eat so you don’t eat too fast. Sometimes it takes some time for our stomachs to feel full, so taking your time can help you avoid feeling over-full.
Eat Well In College
Now that you are in college you have a lot more freedom. Part of that freedom is choosing what and when to eat. A little planning and some reliable nutrition education can help you make choices that will support your body and mind.
Learning variety, balance and moderation with all foods can help you get the nutrients necessary for good health while still allowing you to enjoy all foods that you love to eat.
To get your started, read the tips below:
- Eat Regularly. Skipping meals, especially breakfast, can lead to out-of-control hunger, often resulting in unintended overeating. Eating regular meals throughout the day will help you maintain your energy and prevent your metabolic rate from lowering.
- Eat a Variety of Foods. You need more than 40 different nutrients for optimal health and no single food or food group can supply them all. Consuming foods from different food groups, as well as different types of foods within the food groups, will ensure that you are eating a variety of foods.
- Balance Your Food Choices. About 2/3 of your meal should consist of whole grains, dairy, fruits and vegetables. The remaining 1/3 should consist of lean meat, poultry, fish or other vegetarian protein sources such as beans and nuts.
- Watch Your Portion Sizes. By keeping portion sizes appropriate, it is possible to eat the foods you enjoy without unwanted weight gain.
- Drink Plenty of Fluids. Most adults need 1/2 ounce of fluids per pound of body weight to remain adequately hydrated. Water is preferred over most beverages, but you can also get fluids from juices, milk, tea, coffee, soft drinks, etc.
- Don’t Fall Prey to Diet and Supplement Claims. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
Eating disorders can affect anyone at anytime. They are psychological disorders that can result in serious health effects, and require professional treatment. There is generally not one single cause of eating disorders, but is often a combination of long standing behavioral, social, emotional, psychological and interpersonal factors.
Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss. Someone with anorexia will have body image distortion (likely see themselves larger than they are) and an intense fear of gaining weight or maintaining a healthy weight.
Bulimia Nervosa is characterized by cycles of binging (eating large amounts of food in a short period of time) and purging (getting rid of food). There are different forms of purging including self-induced vomiting, fasting or strict dieting, excessive exercise, and abuse of diet pills, laxatives or diuretics.
Binge Eating Disorder is characterized by recurrent episodes of binging (eating large amounts of food in a short period of time).
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, take advantage of the campus resources that are free and available to you. Contact Campus Wellness for general information and program requests at 328-5171.
Students can receive free nutrition counseling by a Registered Dietitian at Student Health Services by calling 328-6841, and free psychological counseling at the Center for Counseling and Student Development by calling 328-6661.
For more information, please visit these websites:
Body Image
- Body image is how we see ourselves, think about our bodies, and feel in our own skin.
- It’s easy to compare ourselves to others, especially with social media being so prevalent.
- It’s important to understand that everyone’s body is shaped differently and looks different.
- For more information about body image, you can reach out to a counselor at the Center for Counseling and Student Development!
For more information, please visit these websites.
Sexual Health
- It’s common for STI’s to show no symptoms.
- Get yourself tested regularly. The student health center offers discounted STI testing for ECU students!
- Practice safe sex- use condoms and/or other forms of birth control.
- Openly discuss with your partner what you like and what you don’t like.
Sexual Health Resources:
BACCHUS Peer Education Network
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
American Sexual Health Association
Stress Management
- It’s easy to get overwhelmed and stressed out as a college student.
- It’s important to be able to adequately manage your stress so you can be the best version of yourself!
- Stress can have several negative impacts on our physical health. For example, high levels of stress can increase the risk of strokes, heart disease, and heart attacks.
- Being stressed out can cause you to feel sick. It’s common to experience headaches or nausea when feeling extremely stressed.
- Some positive ways to manage stress can be:
- Exercise
- Reading
- Meditation
- Social Support
- Journaling
- Listening to music
- Art
- Stress management tips:
- Ask for help. Talk to a friend, a peer, a professor, or a counselor!
- Use your resources. ECU’s Center for Counseling and Student Development offers free counseling to ECU Students!
- Take the time to manage your time. If you’re busy, as most college students are, managing your time can decrease your stress significantly.
- Explore different ways to manage your stress. What works for one does not work for all. Try new things and figure out what helps you manage your stress the best, and doo what works for you! Once you find a few things that are helpful for managing your stress- USE THEM. Having a few “go-to” things can be helpful when you’re feeling stressed out!
Sleep
- 7-8 hours of sleep is recommended
- Sleeping helps you retain and process the information you’ve learned throughout the day. Staying up all night to study is actually more harmful than helpful!
- Sleep is like a reset button- it clears our stressors from the day before and increases our chances of having high energy.
- Sleep Hygiene Tips:
- Stop consuming caffeine 4-6 hours before bed.
- Use your bed for sleep and sex only.
- If you can’t fall asleep, get up and do something that may help you relax. Read a book, do some yoga, etc.
- Stop using technology 30-60 minutes before bed time.
- Try to go to bed at the same time every night
- Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, and at a comfortable temperature.
- Avoid naps during the day
- Exercise earlier in the day