Online resources for health promotion and alcohol abuse prevention

Posted on June 14, 2013 by amymsb

Summer is often the time when new students are greeted with new programs that are intended to help serve their needs. Increasing numbers of people are seeking college degrees, and with that comes both increasing levels of enrollment in commuter programs, and increased usage of bricks and mortar facilities on campus. In order to make sure that all students are fairly served, schools are looking for opportunities to offer more services and resources online, ranging from health information to pre-counseling prior to visits to practitioners.

MyStudentBody is one way to meet some of those needs, since it is available to students and parents that subscribe 24/7/365, but there are other options online that can also help students maintain and improve their health and wellness. I’d be very interested in hearing about some of your favorite resources, but I thought I’d share some of mine first. Today, I’ll focus on alcohol and substance use, but I also have some favorite go-to sites for information about primary prevention of sexual violence, body image, sexual health, mental health, and nutrition that I’ll post about soon.

College Drinking: Changing the Culture is a great starting place for someone who wants to learn about a lot of different approaches to reducing problems with drinking on campus. They provide materials for parents, students, and even college presidents and campus leaders, as well as information related to high school drinking prevention.

The American College Health Association (ACHA)‘s Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs/Substance Abuse portal is another great resource to check out. There’s a link to get you up to speed on their ATOD Coalition, as well as information about the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) and various ACHA-authored pamphlets that might be of interest to your students.

If you have a peer education group (or are thinking of starting one), then BACCHUS is a great resource to consider for both peer training materials and general pamphlets and outreach materials. They also sponsor regional and national conferences for peer educators, which can help motivate and inspire your peer educators to new heights.

I’d love to know what you think of these sites, or if you have other suggestions!

ICCPUD Webinar Series About Preventing Underage Drinking–June 26

Posted on May 28, 2013 by amymsb

There’s an on-going webinar series provided by the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD) that may be of great value to people who are working to reduce underage drinking and the related harms on campus.

This month’s webinar will be sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

You can find information about upcoming webinars, links to archived webinars, and other useful information here.

New Article In Advice!– “Is sex considered rape if both people are drunk?”

Posted on May 9, 2013 by mystudentbloggy

Is sex considered rape if both people are drunk?

Answered by Break the Cycle
Reviewed by M. Keskinen on 05/09/2013

Is sex considered rape if both people are drunk?

This is a tricky question. Rape or attempted rape is a form of sexual abuse. Sexual abuse refers to any action that pressures or coerces someone into unwanted sexual activity, or a sexual situation that makes him or her feel uncomfortable. It can also refer to behavior that impacts a person’s ability to control his or her sexual activity or the circumstances in which sexual activity occurs, including nonconsensual oral sex, rape, or restricting access to birth control and condoms. Some examples of sexual assault and abuse are:

· Unwanted kissing or touching

· Unwanted rough or violent sexual activity

· Refusing to use condoms or restricting someone’s access to birth control

· Keeping someone from protecting him- or herself from sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

· Threatening or pressuring someone into unwanted sexual activity

In order for sex to be consensual and not sexual assault, both parties must freely give verbal consent. Legal definitions of rape vary by state, but if one partner is intoxicated, drugged, unconscious, or otherwise unable to give a clear and informed “yes” or “no” to sexual activity, the activity is considered sexual assault. It is very risky to engage in sexual behavior if you or your partner have been drinking heavily or using other drugs. If either or both partners are too intoxicated to give verbal consent, sex can be considered rape. Additionally, if you know that your partner would not want to engage in sexual activity while sober, it is wrong and perhaps illegal to try to persuade them while they are intoxicated even if they do consent.

Being intoxicated after voluntarily drinking alcohol is generally not a defense or excuse to rape. In rape cases where the alleged rapist is intoxicated, this fact may reduce the severity of the criminal charge, but a person may still be found guilty of rape or sexual assault.

Blog-only note: If you feel that you may have been sexually assaulted, or have questions about how to get meaningful consent, please contact your school’s student health services, counseling office, or Dean of Students office for help and guidance. Often, there will be a directory on your school’s website that will help you find phone numbers and different services on campus. Your school may also be listed on ULifeline.

This item appears on our MyStudentBody-Student site in the Advice section.

ICCPUD Webinar Series About Preventing Underage Drinking–April

Posted on April 15, 2013 by amymsb

You can click here to get more information.

This month, there will be discussion on how to use evidence-based strategies to reduce underage drinking. If you can’t watch it live, they are archiving them. The last one was in March, and it’s available here.

Upcoming 3/27 webinar for parents: “Recovering My Kid: Parenting Young Adults in Treatment and Beyond”

Posted on March 13, 2013 by amymsb

MyStudentBody is primarily focused on prevention, but we are fully aware that some students arrive on campus with alcohol or substance abuse issues. In the hopes of helping to serve all students and their families, we’d like to offer a potential resource for the parents of young people who are in treatment or recovery.

The webinar is “Recovering My Kid: Parenting Young Adults in Treatment and Beyond”. It will be presented by Joseph Lee M.D., Medical Director of Hazelden Youth Services.

The webinar will offer parents of young adults in recovery answers to questions such as:

“I hear addiction is a disease but how does it really affect my child?”
“How should we approach mental health issues that come with addiction (ADHD, depression, anxiety, trauma)?”
“What happens when my son or daughter returns home from treatment?”
“What is my role in my child’s recovery?”
“What do we do in times of relapse and other struggles?”
“What kind of culture should we have in our homes to promote recovery?”

The webinar will take place on Wednesday, March 27, 2013, at 8:00 CDT. You can register here.

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Category Archives: Resources