By Jamie LaBree

Most of us are aware that alcohol and drug issues don’t just affect faceless abusers who fit the stereotype of the drunk slurring his speech at the end of a bar, or ~ tragically ~ getting into a car and winding up a statistic wrapped around a tree.  What might be difficult to realize, though, is that the cute girl down the hall or the hot guy on the football team might also have a problem with drugs or alcohol and be hiding it from the world, not knowing where to go for help, especially with a hectic class/homework/studying schedule.

Students at Assumption are lucky to have several on-campus bodies that deal with the many substance abuse issues that can arise. The Student Development and Counseling Center offers free, personalized assessment of individuals’ usage of/dependence on alcohol and drugs (as well as  tobacco, gambling, gaming, and pornography), and a place where those with more serious levels of addiction can receive on-campus counseling.  The SDCC may also refer students to local agencies for in-patient or out-patient treatment, and makes weekly AA meetings available. The Office of Alcohol & Drug Programs coordinates a variety of on-campus events that educate the community about some of the health and safety dangers associated with the use of alcohol and other drugs. One of the most unique services Assumption provides to its students is the AlcoholEdu for College, an on-line alcohol education program designed to provide college students with the information they need to make well-informed choices about alcohol, as well as strategies for dealing with the drinking behavior of their peers. All first year students are required to complete this course, and it is also available to any student who wishes to enroll in it.

I was lucky enough to sit down with Tracey Pakstis-Claiborne, Director of Alcohol and Drug Education, to find out a little more about Assumption’s Alcohol and Drug Resources.

Pulse:  How long have you been in the counseling field?  And what message would you like to get across to college students?

Tracey:  I have been at Assumption for 5 years and before that at WPI for 6 years.  I would like to let all college students know that their campuses have similar services available and they should make use of them while they are in school.  Some of my saddest times as a counselor are when I have a student come to me late in their senior year with a substantial problem.  Not only has it ruined part of their college experience, but they are just about to leave a place where they could easily get help.

Pulse:  What kind of questions are students asked in the personalized assessments given to them when they first seek help from the Student Development and Counseling Center?

Tracey:  I use a program called BASICS, which stands for Brief Alcohol Screening Intervention for College Students.  This particular premise focuses on students filling out several different instruments, and participating in a one-on-one interview with me.  I then develop a report that is personal to them and their current pattern of use.  It is objective, educational, and focuses on the negative consequences of their drinking.  From there we are able to assess if they have a problem, how substantial the problem is, and what the next steps should be for the student.  That may range from coming to see me for a few more sessions to seeking out more intense treatment in a rehabilitation facility.

Pulse: Is the counseling center open to Assumption students only?  How about the on-campus AA meetings?

Tracey: The Student Development and Counseling Center at Assumption College is only open to undergraduate students of the college.  Assumption does offer Alcoholics Anonymous a place to have weekly meetings on campus, Friday nights at 8:00, and those meetings are open to the community.

Pulse: Do you notice a particular class struggling with drinking and drug use more than others?

Tracey: Typically, early on in their college career, students can drink to a dangerous level because they are not as experienced, and they are new to the college life.  While most students mature out of this behavior, some develop issues with drinking, and others will develop an addiction to alcohol.  However, I would say that this experience is specific to each individual student, and not any particular class.

Pulse: Do all the Alcohol and Drug programs offered through the Office of Alcohol & Drug Programs fall under your jurisdiction?

Tracey: Yes.  Students for Safe Choices (SSC) is a peer education group,  AlcoholEdu is an on-line education course that all first year students are required to take, and the Greyhound Alcohol Partnership (GAP) is a campus-community coalition. We also have a new program called the Red Watch Band at Assumption.  This is a bystander prevention training program that over 40 Assumption College students have completed.  These students are specially trained to spot students who have had too much to drink and to address it as the medical emergency that it is, in the moment.  Upon completing the training, these students wear a red watch that makes them readily recognizable to students in need.  You can learn more about the national program at:

www.stonybrook.edu/sb/redwatchband.

Pulse: Do you allow friends or parents to sit in on the student sessions?

Tracey: Friends are parents are allowed if the student wants them to come into a session.  However, we would never talk about a student to a friend or family member without their written consent on a release form in the Student Development and Counseling Center.  Students have the privilege of total confidentiality; we will not even speak to another administrator or faculty member on campus without written consent.

Pulse: Is there a particular addiction that right now seems more prevalent than others in college students?

Tracey: Nationally both marijuana use and pain killer (Percoset, Vicodin, Oxycontin, Oxycodone) use has increased in the college student population.

For more information on Counseling and Assessment Programs, Education and Awareness Programs, AlcoholEDU for College, Students for Safe Choice, and the Greyhound Alcohol Partnership, please visit www1.assumption.edu/stulife/studev/education/programs.php or contact Tracey Pakstis-Claiborne at tclaiborne@assumption.edu.

Pictured: Tracey Pakstis-Claiborne