Despite being a dry campus, including a zero tolerance policy for alcohol in campus residency, a Parkside resident wound up in Long Beach Community Hospital early this semester for alcohol poisoning.
According to the university housing rules and regulations, all residents are banned from possession and consumption of alcohol in the dorms. First-time offenders must attend a mandatory Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs education workshop.
ATOD, in support of Beach Recovery, intends to inform students about the hazards of drug use, while guiding students to a life of sobriety.
“Zanax would be one of the ones that we see more, where students would be using that in combination and sometimes in combination with alcohol,” Health Education Counselor Linda Peña said. “More of the students that we see will be those that [live on campus] because they’re here 24 hours.”
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in 2013, 15 percent of the American population aged 12 and older had drug dependence. People aged 18 through 25, the age range of most college students, comprised seven percent of those dependent on drugs.
Peña said one of the main factors she identifies for drug use among students on campus is the inability to cope with the pressures of life.
“Students who are coming because they really do want to, come because they are in a lot of pain,” Peña said. “Their life just isn’t working for them. They’re really suffering, either they’ve had to drop classes, they’ve got bad relationships, things are just not going well.”
Peña said that the most common case she deals with in drug counseling is prescription drug use.
Heather Mazzei, a graduate student in social work, is a member of the leadership team for Beach Recovery. Outside of class, Mazzei said she is busy coordinating events and setting agendas for Beach Recovery.
“Students in recovery from addiction are people that suffer from shame and get pushed outside,” Mazzei said. “As a person in recovery myself, I didn’t find any resources or support when I was in undergrad, so I didn’t want that to perpetuate.”
Peña said that the admiration of drugs among college students on campus might also be attributed to the promotion of drugs at parties, hosted by student organizations such as fraternities or sorority groups. Students that are avid drug users and are involved in these organizations often take pride in being able to binge.
“There are going to be certain groups or individuals who really look at [drug use] as being something that they can brag about,” Peña said. “It might indicate that they’re more of a man. For women, it might be something that is, maybe the organization that they’re with,” Peña said.
ATOD and Beach Recovery offer support groups and regular meetings for students struggling with substance abuse and addiction. Beach Recovery puts out a monthly e-newsletter providing information on their upcoming events through the CSULB website.
ATOD hosts open recovery meetings every Tuesday and Alcohol Anonymous meetings every Wednesday.