Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

Alcohol awareness class numbers rise

Students seek dismissal of underage drinking citations

A new program offering students the chance to have their first underage drinking citation dismissed has seen an increase in participation.

“Within the first six weeks of school, numbers were already up by 45 people,” said University Police Chief Bob Roberts.

Offered through West Virginia University’s Carruth Center for Psychological and Psychiatric services, program informs students about alcohol and addiction, and the possible harms resulting from binge drinking.

“This isn’t a punitive program,” said John Spraggins, Student Assistance Program director at the Carruth Center. “We want people to understand addiction is a problem. No one wakes up and says, ‘I want to be an alcoholic.’”

The class is typically six sessions, and can be either one-on-one counseling or in groups of about three to five students. During the class, students could complete worksheets, watch videos or write papers.

“We do anything that we think might most effectively help that student,” Spraggins said. “We help them set goals and individualize it. Every student is different.”

The program stresses the fact, if a student is there, they were underage and drinking.

“They are breaking the law,” Spraggins said.

The program intends on helping students realize about 20 percent of the population has an alcohol problem affecting people between the ages 25 and 45 years old.

“Students think it’s just older people who have addictions, but it affects the younger generation,” Spraggins said.

Generally, students in the program are referred through courts or the Office of Student Judicial Affairs at WVU. Spraggins has been the director for 12 years and said there has been a very small percentage of repeat offenders in the class.

“No one thinks that down the road it could be a problem,” Spraggins said. “People just think it’s what they’re supposed to do in college, but some of the binge drinking behaviors can lead to addictions and can harm you in a pretty serious way.”

source: Daily Athenaeum

More Treatment & Detox Articles

Chronic Drinking Causes More Liver Damage Than Binge Drinking

A new study conducted on rodents has shown the extreme harm caused by chronic drinking on the liver, much more than the injury caused by binge drinking. Although alcohol consumption is known to cause liver damage, still the degree of liver damage can differ according to the pattern of drinking “Different patterns of drinking can]….

Medical director: It's all in the brain

Managers may not be able to increase productivity by giving their employees serotonin — well, legally — but they can boost production by making the work area a little more brain-friendly. Daniel Amen, the medical director of Amen Clinics, focuses on making brain theory function in the day-to-day grind. His audience at California State University,….

UTPA students learn about the dangers of drinking

University of Texas-Pan American freshmen Iliana Cantu and Baldomero Perez giggled while taking a survey about alcohol use. The 18-year-olds said they don’t really drink and prefer to focus on their studies. “We’re geeks,” Perez joked. But they said they have friends attending schools beyond the Rio Grande Valley where binge drinking and heavy partying….

5 Dangers Associated with Teenagers and Alcohol Abuse

About Teenagers and Alcohol Abuse According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, approximately 10.4 million people between the age of 12 and 20 had tried alcohol by age 15, and at least fifty percent of teenagers have had at least one full drink. Furthermore, by age 18, more than 70% of teens….

Side effects of cancer treatment

Every person is differently affected with the cancer treatment. Depending on various physical factors, some people may experience fewer side effects while some may not experience any side effects at all. However, it is found that most of the patients feel very sick after or during their treatment process. Usually the doctors do tell their….