Pubdate: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Copyright: 2009 Chico Enterprise-Record Contact: http://www.chicoer.com/feedback Website: http://www.chicoer.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/861 Note: Letters from newspaper's circulation area receive publishing priority Author: Mimi Bommersbach STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT DRUG, ALCOHOL ABUSE As director of the Counseling and Wellness Center at Chico State University, I am writing in response to the recent letter to the editor criticizing drug and alcohol education efforts directed at Chico State freshmen. During freshman move-in week, my staff of seven counselors, officers from the University Police Department and interns from the A.S. Women's Center delivered 20 workshops to 1,900 first-year students residing in campus housing. This nationally recognized program, "Freshman Safe Start," teaches students about a myriad of unsafe situations they could possibly encounter as students in this community. We specifically talk to students about the use of ecstasy as well as the ubiquitous use of other psychoactive drugs such as alcohol. Our message is to be careful and to make smart choices. We give specific examples of problematic drug use and its consequences. We are careful not to make case studies or public awareness campaigns out of specific students who have died of drug overdoses. We do this out or respect for grieving families. We routinely meet and review our preventative efforts to make sure we are doing everything possible to keep students safe. It is an ongoing uphill battle as developmentally, students in late adolescence often feel invincible. We welcome critiques and challenges as it pushes us to do our jobs better. There are larger social and personal issues that drive drug and alcohol abuse. Students know full well the dangers of drugs and abuse and choose to often use anyway. Mimi Bommersbach, Chico - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart