ANN ARBOR (WWJ) - The Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans are set to square off on Saturday night, meaning a day full of celebrating for many fans gathering in Ann Arbor and at home.
While the rivalry is sure to heat up the closer the 7:30 p.m. kick off approaches, alcohol consumption could dampen game day fun as fans are expected to start drinking early and last well into the night.
Director of Wolverine Wellness at the University of Michigan, Mary J Desprez talked to WWJ's Luke Sloan about the dangers of alcohol overconsumption and offered tips to ensure everyone stays safe during all the fun.
'There is excitement building on campus for sure," Desprez said, and so are the dangers of alcohol abuse.
"First and foremost, any alcoholic use can impact our decision making so things that may come up through the day, we can change how we might respond to them, react to them," she explained.
Tensions can run high during games on excitement alone, Desprez said. This excitement can be exacerbated when alcohol is added to the mix and lead to strained interpersonal relationships, accidents and even physical fights.
Simple tasks become also become hazardous under the influence of booze.
"Even walking across the street can be something more dangerous when someone has overconsumed," Desprez explained.
Drinking alcohol can also cause adverse affects on people who are on certain medications.
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"That's something that sometimes people don't think about," Desprez added. "It can really negatively interact with other drugs or prescription medicines with unpredictable results."
On the other end of the spectrum, binge drinking can lead to alcohol poisoning, where "people can die from drinking too much too fast," Desprez warned.
The director said Michigan has a medical amnesty law that removes perceived barriers to minors seeking or calling for help after consuming alcohol -- if you see someone in trouble, Desprez said fans can always call for help.
Desprez said fans should keep an eye on how much they consume so medical attention isn't needed. When first responders are dispatched to a case of suspected alcohol poisoning, it takes away personnel that are able to respond to other emergencies in the community.
'If someone has a heart attack or someone is in a car accident, on days when there are so many people in town anything we can do as a community to keep all of our first responders able to respond to things other than alcohol intoxication is a huge service," the director explained.
Ann Arbor is expecting 200,000 more people over its population of 331,000 in the city for the big rivalry game scheduled to started at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Desprez said binge drinking this weekend may be higher than others in the football season due to the celebratory nature of a big game, the heightened excitement and the marketing surrounding the rivalry.
"It's sold to us in a particular way... all of us can do a little bit to counteract that," the director explained. "We have a lot of people that enjoy football Saturdays that don't drink at all. We have folks that are in recovery, folks for religious reasons... people want to connect and I think connection doesn't always have to equal high alcohol consumption."
Saturday's late start marks just the second night game in series history; the Spartans beat No. 7 Michigan, 14-10, on Oct. 7, 2017, in Michigan Stadium in the first night game of the series.