Trevor Hendron, a college freshman, lies on the floor of a dormitory bathroom stall, vomiting uncontrollably and holding on to the toilet for dear life.

"You should call the paramedics," Hendron cries in agony.

Luckily, his friends are aware that he doesn't need an ambulance, so they opt to keep an eye on him and make sure the situation does not turn into an emergency.

While Hendron, now a 21-year-old student at SF State, survived the ordeal simply with a good night's sleep, punctuated with puking, there have been instances of serious emergency calls involving alcohol at SF State -- most of which should have been easily avoided.

In the 2008-2009 school year, 50 calls were made to the Department of Public Safety involving drunkenness -- five of which required ambulances to transport patients to hospitals, according to University police Inspector Abe Leal.

Students may fear the idea of having to call the police or paramedics in an emergency due to the consequences they might likely face, and sometimes the cost of an ambulance ride alone could be a deterrent.

A five-year study conducted by the San Francisco Department of Public Health calculated an ambulance ride at $1,458 -- about double what it cost two years ago, according to Maria X. Martinez, a deputy director at the health department.

"If you believe a friend or loved one has consumed an excessive amount of an alcoholic beverage, minutes can mean the difference between life and death," Leal said.

Figures from last year's reports show one false paramedic alarm, he said.

The DPS, however, "does not want to discourage anyone from calling for any reason," Chief Kirk Gaston said.

There's no secret to the dangers of binge drinking. Many students and young people alike just don't pay attention to their bodies when there's alcohol involved.

Students are going to drink -- there's no way around that inevitable scenario. However, it's a question of how much common sense a young person can muster to avoid an emergency room.

If one person in the group is aware of who's had too much to drink, it greatly decreases the chances of having to call the paramedics, which was the case with Trevor Hendron.

So, if you're trying to evade resident advisers by carrying beer hidden in bags up dorm staircases, you might want to think about which friend is going to roll you on your side before you crack open your first can.