Rider Student Dies After Fraternity Drinking Binge

[Laak 315]

3/4 of a bottle of Absolut in 15 minutes is ridiculous and pretty stupid, if that is what he drank...I don't think it was related to hazing. I think it was more the fact that the kid didn't know his limits. Unfortunately some people overstep their boundaries to try and realize their limits and by then, it's too late. I had a similar situation happen to me last semester when I chugged 1/3 of a handle of Wild Turkey in about 15 seconds (of my own free will, just FYI) and a lot of my friends to this day wonder how I am still alive. (I weigh about 130...I blacked out about 10 minutes afterwards and woke up at noon the next day) It was stupid and I learned from my mistake. Unfortunately, some kids haven't been and won't be as lucky as I was that night...RIP

[jon1856]

Originally Posted by Laak 315

3/4 of a bottle of Absolut in 15 minutes is ridiculous and pretty stupid, if that is what he drank...I don't think it was related to hazing. I think it was more the fact that the kid didn't know his limits. Unfortunately some people overstep their boundaries to try and realize their limits and by then, it's too late. I had a similar situation happen to me last semester when I chugged 1/3 of a handle of Wild Turkey in about 15 seconds (of my own free will, just FYI) and a lot of my friends to this day wonder how I am still alive. (I weigh about 130...I blacked out about 10 minutes afterwards and woke up at noon the next day) It was stupid and I learned from my mistake. Unfortunately, some kids haven't been and won't be as lucky as I was that night...RIP

Laak;
Your posting confuses me.
There is no "if" to what Gary drank-Blood tests show it rather clearly.
And yes, you were very lucky that you did not wake up in the ER or just not wake up at all. I do have to wonder just what your "friends" did in the 10 minutes that you were pasted out.

Just found this story on line that is so, so sad and "wrong":
No Thought of a Problem: 'We All Just Get Wasted'

...."
On a recent weekend night, Mr. Dozier and his friends invented a theme for one of their binges. They called it a "vomit party," in which the 25 or so students who gathered in a friend's apartment were encouraged to drink nauseating amounts from a shared bottle of vodka. Unfortunately, Mr. Dozier said, the bottle was toppled over early in the evening by one of the tipsy partygoers and the festivities were brought to an end.
"The vomit party didn't go down like it was supposed to," he said."
....."
They were lucky. Gary Devercelly Jr., a freshman at Rider University in New Jersey, landed in the emergency room after drinking a bottle of vodka at a fraternity party last month. He later died from complications resulting from "respiratory suppression," a condition in which alcohol suppresses the part of the brain that makes a person breathe.
An autopsy found his blood alcohol concentration was 0.426, more than five times the legal limit to drive a car in the state."
..."
Mr. Beale, 18, said his peers often brag about "blacking out," or drinking to the point that they experienced some short-term memory loss — a state that has been linked to permanently damaging a young person's memory, spatial skills, and ability to focus.
Explaining the temptation to gloat about "blacking out," he said: "Part of that might have something to do with trying to get some sort of image as someone who parties often, and knows how to have a good time. But I think it might be mostly because nights like those can lead to some amusing situations when you ignore the brain damage aspect of it."
http://www.nysun.com/article/54067?page_no=1
http://www.nysun.com/article/54213
http://www.nysun.com/article/53980

[Laak 315]

Actually, I was unaware of what I was doing for the rest of the night...I was told I vomited quite a bit in the bathroom with numerous people in there with me to make sure I didn't "drown" in the toilet, or anything of the sort. Unfortunately, people don't know how serious a condition a person can be in when he/she drinks too much. Why do you think people who drank too much the night before aren't found dead until the next morning? It's because the other people think that person is simply passed out...not brain-dead/poisoned. I don't fault anyone at the party I was at for not taking me to the hospital or calling 911. I'm positive they would have had they been given certain signs (such as me not breathing, blue face, etc..., even though it probably would have been too late...) It would have been nice if they did lol, but I don't blame anyone for not knowing how bad off I was. They probably didn't know how serious of a condition I was in since I was still awake and was very talkative, from what I am told. (I blacked out but that doesn't mean I wasn't still awake and engaging in conversations etc...) The fraternity brothers of the guy in the article probably thought he was simply sleeping/passed out for awhile, before they decided to call 911. Unfortunately, in today's society, I don't think too many people on a college campus are going to call 911 immediately just because they see someone who has been drinking passed out. Maybe they should, but the average college-person's mentality seems to be that they are fine and will wake up the next morning. So, in summary, if you are trying to blame my fraternity brothers for me being in bad shape, I think you're wasting your time. I certainly don't blame them. It wasn't their idea for me to drink so much. I take full responsibility for my actions and had I died that night, it would have been my fault, not theirs. I learned my lesson the hard way, but sometimes that's what it takes for a person to learn a lesson. As sad as it is to hear about the guy in the article dying, no one is really to blame but himself. He's the one who drank so much of his own free will (as I stated, 3/4 a bottle of vodka is ridiculous). To blame his fraternity brothers is ludicrous in my opinion.

[jon1856]

Originally Posted by Laak 315

Actually, I was unaware of what I was doing for the rest of the night...I was told I vomited quite a bit in the bathroom with numerous people in there with me to make sure I didn't "drown" in the toilet, or anything of the sort. Unfortunately, people don't know how serious a condition a person can be in when he/she drinks too much. Why do you think people who drank too much the night before aren't found dead until the next morning? It's because the other people think that person is simply passed out...not brain-dead/poisoned. I don't fault anyone at the party I was at for not taking me to the hospital or calling 911. I'm positive they would have had they been given certain signs (such as me not breathing, blue face, etc..., even though it probably would have been too late...) It would have been nice if they did lol, but I don't blame anyone for not knowing how bad off I was. They probably didn't know how serious of a condition I was in since I was still awake and was very talkative, from what I am told. (I blacked out but that doesn't mean I wasn't still awake and engaging in conversations etc...) The fraternity brothers of the guy in the article probably thought he was simply sleeping/passed out for awhile, before they decided to call 911. Unfortunately, in today's society, I don't think too many people on a college campus are going to call 911 immediately just because they see someone who has been drinking passed out. Maybe they should, but the average college-person's mentality seems to be that they are fine and will wake up the next morning. So, in summary, if you are trying to blame my fraternity brothers for me being in bad shape, I think you're wasting your time. I certainly don't blame them. It wasn't their idea for me to drink so much. I take full responsibility for my actions and had I died that night, it would have been my fault, not theirs. I learned my lesson the hard way, but sometimes that's what it takes for a person to learn a lesson. As sad as it is to hear about the guy in the article dying, no one is really to blame but himself. He's the one who drank so much of his own free will (as I stated, 3/4 a bottle of vodka is ridiculous). To blame his fraternity brothers is ludicrous in my opinion.

You are very kind to your Brothers. While I would not use the word "blame", I do believe that they failed to use common sense and knowledge to be pro-active. They failed to protect you when you were unable to protect yourself or even explain what you felt like.

In my chapter, we more than once sent Brothers to the ER for medical exams.

At least once for ODing on alcohol and once due to an allergic reaction to a drug.

[Tom Earp]

Sorry, this will be one of the few posts I will answer anymore, but drinking until drunk and throwing up in the Toilet or trash can is never funny. If it is condoned by His fellow members I just do not understand!

In doing this, I wonder why anyone even Associated/Pledged these new people and allow this to happen?

One never knows what this person can take and then dies!

Could He have been a great member and goe on to other things bigger and better?

[Laak 315]

I never said it was funny to vomit in a toilet and I never said my actions that night were condoned by my fellow brothers...As far as my fraternity brothers "not caring" how bad of shape I was in, if they didn't care, they would have just let me pass out on a couch or outside somewhere without checking on me/having somebody with me at all times. Instead, from what I have been told from numerous people (including non-fraternity members and girls), at least two people were with me at all times that night to make sure I didn't stop breathing, etc...As I stated, it seems that most college kids don't really know how bad off a person is by just looking at them. I fully understand that just because a person who has drank too much is breathing, doesn't necessarily mean they are alright. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem too many college kids understand this. Again, I take full responsibility for my actions and if I don't blame my fraternity brothers for MY actions, I don't see how anyone else has the right to do so.

[jon1856]

Originally Posted by Laak 315

I never said it was funny to vomit in a toilet and I never said my actions that night were condoned by my fellow brothers...As far as my fraternity brothers "not caring" how bad of shape I was in, if they didn't care, they would have just let me pass out on a couch or outside somewhere without checking on me/having somebody with me at all times. Instead, from what I have been told from numerous people (including non-fraternity members and girls), at least two people were with me at all times that night to make sure I didn't stop breathing, etc...As I stated, it seems that most college kids don't really know how bad off a person is by just looking at them. I fully understand that just because a person who has drank too much is breathing, doesn't necessarily mean they are alright. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem too many college kids understand this. Again, I take full responsibility for my actions and if I don't blame my fraternity brothers for MY actions, I don't see how anyone else has the right to do so.

Again, unless the people "standing by" you were EMT/Paramedics/LPN, they had no idea just what was wrong with you and how to handle it.
If they even had a thought about you not being able to breath, they should have called 911 rather than wonder what if. What they "did" was just short of doing nothing. Because the odds are rather good that if something had happened, by the time true help arrived, you would have been dead. For all they did was waste the "golden time".
You were very lucky.
And if you saw some one today in that condition, what would you do?

[ΑΓΔSquirrelGirl]

Originally Posted by Laak 315

Actually, I was unaware of what I was doing for the rest of the night...I was told I vomited quite a bit in the bathroom with numerous people in there with me to make sure I didn't "drown" in the toilet, or anything of the sort. Unfortunately, people don't know how serious a condition a person can be in when he/she drinks too much. Why do you think people who drank too much the night before aren't found dead until the next morning? It's because the other people think that person is simply passed out...not brain-dead/poisoned. I don't fault anyone at the party I was at for not taking me to the hospital or calling 911. I'm positive they would have had they been given certain signs (such as me not breathing, blue face, etc..., even though it probably would have been too late...) It would have been nice if they did lol, but I don't blame anyone for not knowing how bad off I was. They probably didn't know how serious of a condition I was in since I was still awake and was very talkative, from what I am told. (I blacked out but that doesn't mean I wasn't still awake and engaging in conversations etc...) The fraternity brothers of the guy in the article probably thought he was simply sleeping/passed out for awhile, before they decided to call 911. Unfortunately, in today's society, I don't think too many people on a college campus are going to call 911 immediately just because they see someone who has been drinking passed out. Maybe they should, but the average college-person's mentality seems to be that they are fine and will wake up the next morning. So, in summary, if you are trying to blame my fraternity brothers for me being in bad shape, I think you're wasting your time. I certainly don't blame them. It wasn't their idea for me to drink so much. I take full responsibility for my actions and had I died that night, it would have been my fault, not theirs. I learned my lesson the hard way, but sometimes that's what it takes for a person to learn a lesson. As sad as it is to hear about the guy in the article dying, no one is really to blame but himself. He's the one who drank so much of his own free will (as I stated, 3/4 a bottle of vodka is ridiculous). To blame his fraternity brothers is ludicrous in my opinion.

I'm always on the fence on this one. The fact is that some people "pass out" because they're tired and drunk and it definitely wouldn't be appropriate to take them to the ER...but how do you tell if it's more than that?

I say better safe than sorry.

I also say that much alcohol in that small amount of time is a good indication that trouble may be ahead. I've stayed up all night with people watching them more than once, just to make sure they didn't keep throwing up and choke (try keeping a drunk person on their side...they don't listen) or have trouble breathing, if I thought it was a borderline situation. I have to say I've never been in a situation where someone had enough alcohol to do either of those things while asleep, but I can see it happening easily and if no one is paying attention, it's easy for them to die.

But here's the thing, .426? They should have known in this case. If even one person knew he drank that much, that's a problem. Taking a few shots in an hour or two and passing out later and taking almost a whole bottle of Absolut in minutes and passing out are different situations.

In the end we're all responsible for our own actions...it's pure stupidity to drink that much that fast...it's like going 100 down a highway with your eyes closed. But at the same time, just as FRIENDS, it's important to care enough to pay attention to friends.