UND student Dyllon Cole is used answering questions about drink specials, but his job as a bartender had him answering questions of a different sort Tuesday night.

Cole, a bartender at Brick & Barley Bar & Restaurant in downtown Grand Forks, was part of the first “Drunk Tank” event organized by the UND Wellness Hub and held Tueaday in the Memorial Union.

The event featured a panel that answered UND students’ anonymously submitted questions about alcohol.

“This is a good chance for students to learn the possible consequences related to drinking as well as to learn about all the resources available to Students on campus,” hub staff member Michael Tingman said.

The panel included Cole, a dietician, a staff member of the UND Wellness Hub and University Police Department officers.

At the bar

One of the questions Cole fielded asked if there was a relationship between how drunk someone is and how much they tip.

“Not really,” he said. “A lot of people who are drunk lose their discretion and forget to do so.”

Another student wondered if there are consequences for over-serving a customer at a bar.

Cole said it is possible, noting one particular incident in which an intoxicated individual left the bar and got into a car accident.

The bar he worked for at the time was fined. The bartender who served the customer and the bouncer who let her drive home were both fired.

Bartenders use their discretion when it comes to making sure customers aren’t overserved because they don’t want to have to clean up after them, Cole added.

Health and alcohol

Several questions came up relating to alcohol’s effect on a person’s health.

“How many drinks does it take to begin feeling ‘drunk?’” read one question.

“It is usually three to four drinks for both men and women, but women tend to feel the effects stronger and sooner since they usually have a smaller body than men,” said Jan Goodwin, associate professor of nutrition and dietetics.

Goodwin noted she strongly suspects the low attendance in her Monday morning classes is related to alcohol consumption.

The topic of binge drinking also was broached in questions. One student wanted to know what constitutes binge drinking and how many drinks it takes to get alcohol poisoning.

There is no set number of drinks that cause alcohol poisoning, according to Missy Majerus, a Ph.D student in health sciences and a staff member for the UND Wellness Hub.

“It varies from person to person,” she said.

This usually depends on the person’s tolerance, but Majerus added a high tolerance for alcohol is not cool.

“Binge drinking takes away the good components of drinking, such as a light feeling and relief from stress,” she said.

The law

UND police also responded to questions posed by students.

Officers Jeremy Cochran and Evan Hunter were asked about the use of breathalyzers.

“Do you always use a breathalyzer on people you suspect to be drunk?” said the submitted question.

Both said it is highly situational and it depends on if the person is clearly drunk or not.

Cochran and Hunter also warned the audience that if they are charged with underage drinking or drunk driving and they refuse to submit to a breathalyzer test, they also can be charged with refusing a breathalyzer on top of other charges they may face.

Nathan Guillemette is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected]