Transcript ppt - VaCALC

U.Va. Students:
Is Everybody Drinking?
Department of Student Health
Center for Alcohol & Substance Education
The purpose of this presentation:

Address the perceived and actual norms of
student behaviors around several health issues

Briefly review policies, state law & emergency
guidelines

Provide you with an overview of the educational
programs we provide
Why do we care about college
students’ alcohol use?
We used to think that adolescents were impulsive
and risk takers due to hormones…
 and that alcohol abuse was just a harmless rite of
passage.
 We now know the brain continues to develop into
adulthood (up to about age 25) and undergoes
dramatic changes during adolescence…

The brain develops at
different rates

The parts of the
adolescent brain which
develop first control
physical coordination,
emotion and motivation.

The part of the brain
which controls reasoning
and impulses - the
Prefrontal Cortex develops last and does
not fully mature until the
age of 25 (on average).
Compared to older adults, the brains of
young adults (under the age of 25)
respond differently to alcohol
Source: H Scott Swartzwelder, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology and Neuroscience,
Duke University. Research supported by NIAAA and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
More sensitive to memory
impairment (harder to learn new
information)
Easier to drink to impairment
without realizing it (don’t realize they are
making poor choices)
Faster development of tolerance
(needing more alcohol to get the same effect)
Less sensitive to sedative effects
(young adults stay awake longer, which allows
them to drink more)
May be more vulnerable to
long-term damage
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/NR/rdonlyres/87033E59-822F-4491-B0B5-F08C7C955588/0/NIAAA_Brain_Fact_Sheet_508.pdf
Problem drinking and biology

A family history of alcoholism/drug abuse
puts students at a 4 times greater risk
of developing an alcohol/drug problem.

Help your son/daughter make informed
choices based on their genetic risk.

Have/continue conversations about any
family history of substance abuse.
Alcohol abuse that occurs while the
brain is still developing, even into the
early 20s, may have “profound and
long-lasting consequences.”
Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse
http://www.nida.nih.gov/scienceofaddiction/addiction.html
Drinking Behaviors of U.Va.
First-Year Students
> 1 year ago
2%
Over 1/3 of 1st
years (37%)
don’t drink
(but many students
incorrectly believe
that everyone
drinks)
*2010 Health Promotion Survey
Of 100 U.Va. students on a Saturday night…
About 31 people are consuming no alcohol.
About
33 people are drinking moderately -
1 to 3 drinks over the course of the evening.
About 19 people are drinking a bit more 4 or 5 drinks over the course of the evening.
About
17 people are drinking heavily-
6 or more drinks over the course of the evening
*2010 Health Promotion Survey
Alcohol energy drinks
Alcohol mixed with energy drinks can be
dangerous
 They generally have higher alcohol
concentrations than beer and are packaged in
larger cans.


As a result, a single 23.5 oz. alcohol energy drink at
12% alcohol is the equivalent of drinking a 6 pack of
beer (at 4% alcohol)
Marijuana use by U.Va.
students
Most
students
have never
used
marijuana
2010 Health Promotion Survey
Tobacco Use by U.Va. Students
>12 months
ago
7%
In last 12
months
14%
Never
61%
In past
month
18%
*2010 Health Promotion Survey
82% don’t
use tobacco
(4 out of 5)
U.Va. student abuse of prescription
stimulant drugs
percent
(i.e., Ritalin, Adderall, etc. that were not prescribed to them or used for purposes other than intended)
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
8.1
8
7
4.5
6.8
5.1
4.9
4
3
2.7
2004
6.1
2005
2006
2
2007
past month
UVA Health Behaviors Survey (2004-2009) &
Health Promotion Survey, 2010
3
2008
past year
2009
2.3
2010
% responding
Motives for Abuse of Prescription
Stimulants – National College Student Data
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
60
60
30
Help with studying
Help with
concentration
Sources: Teeter et. al., 2006; White et. al., 2006
To get high
Prescription Stimulant
Abuse

Over half of students w/ prescription stimulants
for ADHD were asked to share/sell pills


About 1/3 of these students did share/sell their meds
in the past year
72% of students who abuse ADHD drugs got
them for FREE
Sources: Thomas et al., 2008; McCabe et al., in preparation; Arria et al., 2008
ADHD Medications

If you have a prescription for ADHD drugs, think
about:



Who to tell you have ADHD meds
How to handle requests to give/sell your meds
If you think you need these meds to study,
consider evaluation for attention difficulties at
Student Health’s Learning Needs Evaluation
Center
What is a norm?
Norms are the unspoken social rules that we all
follow in our public behavior and often in our
private beliefs.
 Because they are unspoken, norms can often be
misperceived.



People try to figure out the norms of the groups they
want to belong to, and then they act that way.
If a person is misperceiving the norms of a certain
group, they'll act that way anyway, because they want
to be accepted as a part of that group.
Reality

UVA and national research have shown that
most students overestimate the extent of
heavy drinking by other students.


In reality, heavy drinking is not as prevalent as
most students think.
Students also underestimate the prevalence
of protective behaviors, things like preventing
a friend from driving after drinking.

So students falsely believe that their peers are
reluctant to intervene in dangerous situations.
Why does this matter?
►
Even if you don’t agree with the
misperceived norm, if you think everyone
else does, it can influence your behaviors.
►
If no one challenges the misperception, the
distance between reality and the
misperception grows
►
When we correct misperceptions, healthy
behaviors increase.
Promoting the True Norms

One of the ways we promote the true norms is
through the Stall Street Journal series.

When we give students more accurate
information about their peers’ behaviors, we
increase the healthy behaviors.

The students saw a summer version in the
Hereford bathrooms.
Stall
Seat
Journal
www.Gordie.org
Leslie Baltz (1976-1997)
Leslie died as a result of an alcoholrelated fall during her 4th year at U.Va.
Blood Alcohol
Concentration (BAC)
All new students
receive one of
these genderspecific,
wallet-sized
cards
This
poster is
placed in
all
residence
halls
Selected
U.Va. Alcohol
Policies
Emergency Room Procedures
UVA
medical personnel DO NOT notify police or U.Va.
administrators when a student is seen in the ER for an alcohol
related incident.
Parents or guardians are NOT notified without student
permission unless a situation is deemed life threatening or the
student is under the age of 18.

Any
911 call from Grounds WILL result in automatic University
Police response.
◦ The officer’s primary emphasis is to provide assistance and
see that the student receives emergency care.
◦ On occasion, police follow up and investigation will take
place only in exceptional circumstances.
◦ There will be follow up from the Dean on Call or AC.
◦
There is no charge for the rescue squad to respond
Parental Notification Policy
(pages 75-76 in the 2010 Handbook for Parents)
Applies when:
 A student is arrested for a drug- or alcohol-related
violation while the student is a dependent (for federal
tax purposes)

Violations include, but are not limited to, DUI, public
drunkenness, underage possession, and unauthorized
possession of controlled substances.
 There
is a pattern of behavior or a severe incident
involving the use of alcohol or other drugs while the
student is a dependent (for federal tax purposes)

Includes, but not limited to, frequent or severe episodes of
drug use, drunkenness and/or hazardous drinking
Selected
Commonwealth of Virginia
Alcoholic Beverage Control
(ABC) laws
(See pages 75-76 in the
2010 Handbook for Parents)
Underage alcohol consumption/
possession/purchase*

Class 1 misdemeanor
 Mandatory minimum $500 fine
(max. of $2,500) or 50 hours of
community service
 Mandatory driver’s license
suspension - 6 month minimum, 1
year max.
 Possible jail sentence: up to 1 year
*COV 4.1-305 http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+4.1-305
Purchasing, giving, providing, or
assisting in providing alcohol to
person under 21

Class 1 misdemeanor
 Possible fine up to $2,500
 Possible jail sentence: up to 1 year
 Mandatory driver’s license suspension
for up to 1 year
*COV 4.1-306 http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+4.1-306
Using or possessing a fake ID
 Using a fake ID
 Class 1 misdemeanor
 Mandatory
minimum $500 fine (max. of
$2,500) or 50 hours of community service
 Mandatory driver’s license suspension - 6
month minimum, 1 year max.
 Possible jail sentence: up to 1 year
 Possessing

a fake ID
Class 2 misdemeanor
 Possible
jail sentence: up to 6 months
 Possible fine: up to $1,000.

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+18.2-204.2
University of Virginia
Alcohol and Other Drug
Education Efforts
Alcohol-Wise online education
program for U.Va. first-years

One hour program, divided into four sessions

Throughout the program, provides personalized
feedback on student’s behaviors

First-years will receive log in information by email
approximately two weeks before move-in day

Parents will also receive log in information by
email so they can preview the program
The yellow cab
program was
used
more than 4,200
times in 2009-10.

If students find themselves without a safe way
home for any reason (not just alcohol-related)

They can call the Yellow Cab Company and show
their U.Va. ID to charge the fare to their student
accounts
U.Va. Peer Education
AADAPTDAPT
ADAPT
Alcohol & Drug Abuse Prevention Team
Student Athlete Mentors
(SAM)
Peer Health Educators
Hoos Sober Listserv
Provides a weekly email of non-alcohol focused
events at U.Va.
 Coordinated by ADAPT peer educators
 Over 1,400 students registered

Hoos in Recovery
An association of over 80 University
undergraduate and graduate students,
staff, faculty, and alumni in recovery from
alcoholism or addiction who provide a
non-judgmental, non-critical, anonymous
forum for discussion.
First meeting:
Wednesday, Sept. 1 @ noon
[email protected]
U.Va. Resources

Department of Student Health



Gordie Center for Alcohol & Substance Education (CASE) – virginia.edu/case
Office of Health Promotion
Counseling and Psychological Services


Rick Heisterman - Substance Abuse Clinician
Office of the Dean of Students


Residence Life
Fraternity & Sorority Life
University Police
 Women’s Center
 Office of African American Affairs

Project RISE peer counselors
Parent e-newsletters and Web site www.virginia.edu/parents


Students:
Preparing for U.Va.
Know that many students don’t drink and
among those who do, most drink moderately (13 drinks)
 Prepare in advance how you will handle
situations where you may be offered alcohol
 Say you don’t drink
 Fill your cup with water or soda.
 Hold the cup all night but don’t drink it!


Intervene with your friends when needed
Parents:
Your continued role
 Students
 Initiate
trust you
conversations
 Clear
expectations
 Avoid
scare tactics
 Reinforce
 Repeat
U.Va. norms
the message