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Responsible Drinking

If you choose to drink when you go out, remember the Student Promise, remember the Good Sam policy, and follow these quick tips to stay safe, have fun, and stay in control:

  • Pace your drinking to 1 drink or less per hour (it takes an hour for your liver to get rid of one drink)
  • Avoid or limit shots of hard liquor, pregaming too much before a party can cause you to show up already intoxicated and less in control. 
  • Sip your drink; don’t chug or slam a drink, especially by playing drinking games
  • Drink plenty of water throughout the party to stay hydrated and potentially prevent a hangover
  • Keep track of your drink and what you are drinking, if a stranger hands you a drink politely decline
  • If you don't know what is in a drink and now much alcohol it contains (like jungle juice) choose something else
  • Alternate alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to avoid getting drunk too quickly 
  • Do not mix alcohol with prescription medicines and other depressants 
  • Eat food (with fat/protein) before and during the festivities, snacking is encouraged! 
  • Designate a trusted friend to help you stick to your drink limit
  • Come up with a plan with friends on how to safely get to and from the party
  • Use public transportation or a ride share/taxi to get home, never drink and drive. If you are taking an uber or Lyft, do not ride alone if intoxicated and do not put your friend in a Lyft or Uber by themselves if they have been drinking. (Ramblers need to stick together!) 

Also, please remember that your choices do not just affect you, they affect the safety and well being of your friends and the Loyola community. If you choose to drink, please consume in a low risk way that does not affect the safety and college experience of other Ramblers. As you are going out with friends, we also ask you to care for your peers and call for  or use the  policy in the case of an alcohol or drug related emergency. 

Resources: 

College Alcohol Related Statistics 

The Ohio State University, Alcohol Facts for First Year College Students 

Stanford Office of Alcohol Policy and Education 

Rethinking Drinking 

At Loyola, we recognize that as a student you have choices about drinking: whether or not to drink, how much to drink, where, when, and with whom to drink. You are a young adult with the freedom and responsibility to make your own decisions. We are here to help you navigate the challenging course through college and to find ways to balance what matter most to you: meeting new people, having fun, doing well in school, being healthy and in control, shaping your character, achieving your goals.

While most students at Loyola use alcohol in moderation or not at all, a significant minority of students drink in ways that put them, and others, at greater risk for alcohol-related harms–negative consequences that can quickly throw what matters out of balance. These include injury, fights, sexual assault, property damage, vandalism, legal trouble, unplanned and unprotected sex, poor academic performance, interrupted studies, etc.

The best way to reduce your risk of consequences from alcohol use is to abstain from drinking or not drink until you are 21. However, we recognize that students may decide to socialize and have fun by drinking alcohol with friends on campus or at parties. Please remember that it is your choice whether to drink or not, but consuming alcohol under the age of 21 may result in consequences as you will have violated Loyola’s community standards. 

 Things to Keep in Mind when Hosting a Party 

If you are planning to host a party to celebrate a birthday, holiday, or just because, please remember that Loyola is situated in a residential area with many families. Please be respectful of our campus and off-campus community, and follow the LUC community standards and city and state laws.

If you are hosting a party at an off-campus residence, you cannot provide alcohol to people under the age of 21. If you are asked by Campus Safety or Chicago police to end a party due to noise and other complaints, you must end the party immediately and ask guests to leave. If there is alcohol at the party, guests cannot drink it outside the residence. If you live in an apartment complex, be respectful of neighbors and the rules fo the complex in terms of capacity and noise.

Remember Loyola's Good Neighbor policy below:

Loyola enjoys a positive, mutually supportive relationship with its neighboring local residential and business communities in Rogers Park, Edgewater, Maywood, Woodstock, and abroad. To sustain those relationships into the future, Loyola students must conduct themselves as mature and responsible neighbors when off-campus. Students are responsible for upholding all federal, state, and city laws and ordinances wherever they reside, travel, or socialize, especially those relating to noise, traffic, littering, parking, zoning, and alcohol and drug use.

If you choose to drink when you go out, remember the Student Promise, remember the Good Sam policy, and follow these quick tips to stay safe, have fun, and stay in control:

  • Pace your drinking to 1 drink or less per hour (it takes an hour for your liver to get rid of one drink)
  • Avoid or limit shots of hard liquor, pregaming too much before a party can cause you to show up already intoxicated and less in control. 
  • Sip your drink; don’t chug or slam a drink, especially by playing drinking games
  • Drink plenty of water throughout the party to stay hydrated and potentially prevent a hangover
  • Keep track of your drink and what you are drinking, if a stranger hands you a drink politely decline
  • If you don't know what is in a drink and now much alcohol it contains (like jungle juice) choose something else
  • Alternate alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to avoid getting drunk too quickly 
  • Do not mix alcohol with prescription medicines and other depressants 
  • Eat food (with fat/protein) before and during the festivities, snacking is encouraged! 
  • Designate a trusted friend to help you stick to your drink limit
  • Come up with a plan with friends on how to safely get to and from the party
  • Use public transportation or a ride share/taxi to get home, never drink and drive. If you are taking an uber or Lyft, do not ride alone if intoxicated and do not put your friend in a Lyft or Uber by themselves if they have been drinking. (Ramblers need to stick together!) 

Also, please remember that your choices do not just affect you, they affect the safety and well being of your friends and the Loyola community. If you choose to drink, please consume in a low risk way that does not affect the safety and college experience of other Ramblers. As you are going out with friends, we also ask you to care for your peers and call for  or use the  policy in the case of an alcohol or drug related emergency. 

Resources: 

College Alcohol Related Statistics 

The Ohio State University, Alcohol Facts for First Year College Students 

Stanford Office of Alcohol Policy and Education 

Rethinking Drinking 

At Loyola, we recognize that as a student you have choices about drinking: whether or not to drink, how much to drink, where, when, and with whom to drink. You are a young adult with the freedom and responsibility to make your own decisions. We are here to help you navigate the challenging course through college and to find ways to balance what matter most to you: meeting new people, having fun, doing well in school, being healthy and in control, shaping your character, achieving your goals.

While most students at Loyola use alcohol in moderation or not at all, a significant minority of students drink in ways that put them, and others, at greater risk for alcohol-related harms–negative consequences that can quickly throw what matters out of balance. These include injury, fights, sexual assault, property damage, vandalism, legal trouble, unplanned and unprotected sex, poor academic performance, interrupted studies, etc.

The best way to reduce your risk of consequences from alcohol use is to abstain from drinking or not drink until you are 21. However, we recognize that students may decide to socialize and have fun by drinking alcohol with friends on campus or at parties. Please remember that it is your choice whether to drink or not, but consuming alcohol under the age of 21 may result in consequences as you will have violated Loyola’s community standards. 

 Things to Keep in Mind when Hosting a Party 

If you are planning to host a party to celebrate a birthday, holiday, or just because, please remember that Loyola is situated in a residential area with many families. Please be respectful of our campus and off-campus community, and follow the LUC community standards and city and state laws.

If you are hosting a party at an off-campus residence, you cannot provide alcohol to people under the age of 21. If you are asked by Campus Safety or Chicago police to end a party due to noise and other complaints, you must end the party immediately and ask guests to leave. If there is alcohol at the party, guests cannot drink it outside the residence. If you live in an apartment complex, be respectful of neighbors and the rules fo the complex in terms of capacity and noise.

Remember Loyola's Good Neighbor policy below:

Loyola enjoys a positive, mutually supportive relationship with its neighboring local residential and business communities in Rogers Park, Edgewater, Maywood, Woodstock, and abroad. To sustain those relationships into the future, Loyola students must conduct themselves as mature and responsible neighbors when off-campus. Students are responsible for upholding all federal, state, and city laws and ordinances wherever they reside, travel, or socialize, especially those relating to noise, traffic, littering, parking, zoning, and alcohol and drug use.