FRESHERS are being warned to know their alcohol limits as they prepare to head off to university for the first time.

Alcohol abuse poses a huge risk to personal safety with 18-25-year-olds more likely to have an alcohol related accident than any other age group.

Following the tragic deaths of three students in the last two years in alcohol related incidents at Durham University, and a subsequent £50,000 campaign, which was launched earlier this year by the university to promote positive drinking behaviours, experts want more to be done across UK campuses to increase student awareness of the dangers associated with alcohol consumption.

Suzannah Robin, Sales and Training Manager at AlcoDigital, the UK’s leading supplier of breathalyzers, commented: “Alcohol can affect people in different ways and at different rates, but even a small amount of alcohol can make you more prone to accidents. "Some of these might be minor, like tripping over your own feet or spilling wine down your front, but it can also cause more serious accidents.

“Alcohol affects our judgement, ability to respond and makes us more likely to take risks. The more you drink and the higher the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level, the more likely it is you will have an accident.

“Freshers should avoid excessive or binge drinking, drinking on an empty stomach and steer clear of drinking games, which encourage large quantities of alcohol to be consumed in a very short period of time.”

There are a number of things undergraduates can do to safeguard themselves from unnecessary harm including pre-ordering a registered taxi to take them home at a certain time after a night out, always informing housemates of their whereabouts and never leaving their drinks unattended.

MORE TOP STORIES: Suzannah continues: “It’s unrealistic to expect young adults to avoid drinking altogether so instead we would urge them to drink responsibly, be aware of their surroundings and understand their own limitations when consuming alcohol.”

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