Plans To Study Freshman Drug and Alcohol Use

Posted by azdrugrehabctr on October 9, 2016 under Addiction Trends | Comments are off for this article

Going away to college for the first time is an exciting time for most teenagers. For many, this is the first time they are living away from home, without the constant supervision of their parents. This newfound freedom, combined with the stressors of college and the influence of hundreds of new classmates, can join together to become catalysts for drug use and excessive alcohol consumption. However, these are mainly assumptions and observations, until now.

A new study being conducted among first-year college students seeks to track the actual influences regarding alcohol and drug use. The researchers at Brown University are also looking at the effects of media and social media on these behaviors as well.

“We know that (peers) become more important than parents as a source of information and a source for modeling. Peers are the most influential when it comes to health-related topics. Social networks allow us to study those connections,” explained Nancy Barnett, professor of behavior and social sciences at the School of Public Health at Brown University.

The project will be called Squad2020 and is being conducted by Barnett and a group of students, who came up with the name. The group specifically wanted to target freshman students because they are still at an age where they are developing their friendships, meeting new people and all share the common experience of drastically changing their social environment.

The researchers hope to be able to publish the results of the study in the spring of 2018. The hope is that the study will highlight how social media impacts new college students and their inclination to use drugs and drink. If researchers can better understand the pressures presented to students, they will be more able to develop new methods of prevention and help students in need.

Colleges students throughout the country are faced with much of the same temptations and anxieties. These feelings, paired with the immediate flood of pictures and posts of other students drinking and using drugs can only exasperate the issue.

Community Participation May Help Prevent Further Drug Abuse

Posted by azdrugrehabctr on May 17, 2015 under AZ Drug Rehab News | Comments are off for this article

Keeping drug abuse a secret has proven not to help anybody. The addict suffers because they are able to continue using the substances that are killing them. Families suffer because they oftentimes feel that they have no one to talk to or anyone to provide advice for how to deal with their loved ones. Members of the community suffer because they are not aware that the drug problem is infiltrating their towns, schools and neighborhoods. In order to bring communities together, some areas are conducting surveys. The surveys are intended to provide a truer, deeper look into the drug activities of residents. Understanding this information will better help law enforcement and public officials monitor the drug scene and create better, more effective programing.

“It is extremely important for individuals to participate in this survey. The results of this survey will give us a glimpse into the needs of the community as we work on prevention and treatment efforts,” explained Kirsty Nichols, a coordinator that is working with communities to better handle the drug crisis.

One particular survey that is being administered in New Mexico by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation is geared towards finding out about the drug use and perceptions about drugs and alcohol in the community. The survey asks questions regarding drinking and driving, mental health, specific questions regarding past drug and alcohol use and how survey takers feel about narcotics. Understanding these types of topics will help to create more tailor-made programming for community members. The goal is to make drug and alcohol abuse something that people feel comfortable discussing and getting out in the open.

New Mexico, in particular, is a state that has an extreme problem with drug and alcohol abuse. However, it is not the only state that is suffering from the drug epidemic that is sweeping throughout the country. The hope is that other states will agree to become more involved with their residents and find out how drug and alcohol abuse is affecting families throughout the country.

Maybe parts of Arizona can emulate similar practices to help reduce the drug problem in our communities as well.