Derek Neary
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 15/98) - The Yellowknife fire department can make students feel drunk without a single drop of alcohol.

"Fatal Vision" goggles, which simulate an intoxication level of two to two-and-a-half times the legal limit, give the wearer a blurred and distorted impression of the world around them. Just ask Grade 11 student Susan Coyne, who fell trying to dribble a basketball while wearing the goggles.

"I felt really imbalanced. I couldn't stand straight," Coyne said. "I felt like I was walking on a round surface. I wasn't able to co-ordinate myself."

Using the Fatal Vision goggles, deputy fire chief Mike Lowing put on a demonstration for students at St. Pat's Tuesday afternoon in conjunction with Students Against Drinking and Driving week. He had them try variety of sports drills, only to stumble around and draw laughter from their peers.

"It's OK if they're throwing a football, but what if they were trying to drive a car?" said Lowing after a poorly executed passing drill.

He told the students that three out of every five emergencies to which fire department responds involve some level of impairment, usually from alcohol. In addition, May and June are the months with the highest average number of impaired-driving convictions.

"Alcohol is a real problem," said Lowing, who added that quick fixes for drunkenness never work. Drinking coffee simply amounts to mixing a depressant and a stimulant, while taking a cold shower only makes you cold, he said.

The focus of the presentation was that any type of high-risk activity should be avoided while drinking. That includes driving ATVs and snowmobiles, riding bikes and even socializing on balconies.

Lowing related a story in which a young man's intoxicated girlfriend jumped into his arms while they stood on a balcony. Her momentum carried them both over the railing and to their deaths.

"The goggles don't impair your common sense," he noted. "What are you going to do to protect your friends?"

Coyne got the message.

"You realize you should be more careful. I couldn't even dribble," she said.