In the midst of government plans to cut funding for addiction clinics, the Student Health Center is working with students to try and help others on campus manage substance abuse.
The Health Promotion Office and the Counseling Center, located within the Student Health Center, to provide treatment and counseling for students addicted to drugs or alcohol.
Chris Campau, a non-degree-seeking student who dealt with drug and alcohol addiction, said he can benefit greatly from on-campus resources at the Student Health Center.
Campau said he attended Western Carolina in 2001 and dropped out due to his substance abuse.
Campau applied to N.C. State last summer, but he was denied full status because of his grades at Western Carolina. He said he is hoping to join the social work program next semester and remains in contact with the Student Health Center.
After being denied from the program and struggling to overcome the stigma created from his addiction, Campau heard of a collegiate recovery program that schools such as Texas Tech and the University of Michigan use to support those in long-term recovery who are attempting to further their education.
According to the University of Michigan’s website, the Collegiate Recovery Program provides a supportive community where students in recovery can achieve academic success while enjoying a genuine college experience, free from alcohol and other drugs.
After contacting and visiting the major universities that have such a program, Campau decided to start one himself at N.C. State.
“I did this because of the student that comes behind me, the one that has the same problem I did,” Campau said. “I don’t want them to have to go through the things I did. I don’t want them to be discouraged.”
According to Campua, after overcoming his addiction, he then attended community college and changed his academic record. He received an associate of arts from South Western Community College as well as a two-year degree in human services technology/substance abuse from Wake Technical Community College. He graduated with a 3.7 GPA.
“While at Western Carolina, I personally battled with drug and alcohol problems that led me to fail out of school,” Campau said. “After struggling and dealing with all kinds of terrible consequences surrounding my addiction, I finally entered long term recovery in May of 2006.”
The Stacie Mathewson Foundation promised to give $10,000 to 100 universities that have a Collegiate Recovery Program. The group will apply for the grant in January, even though they have already been guaranteed the funding, according to Campau.
Assistant Director of Health Promotion, Chris Austin, works with students in order to prevent alcohol and drug abuse at N.C State. With programs such as AlcoholEDU and AlcoholBASICS, the school is able to educate students about the practicalities of alcohol use as well as screen students who have received a sanction from Student Conduct for addiction problems that may be developing.
“My role is to make students aware about alcohol use and other drug issues on campus, which is why we do things like Alcohol EDU,” Austin said. “We do more harm reduction for those choosing to use, so that they look to use in more, lower risk ways.”
Students sanctioned by the Office of Student Conduct are sent first to the Health Promotion Office to undergo the AlcoholBASICS program. This includes a class educating the students about the facts surrounding alcohol consumption and one to two follow-up sessions in which the severity of the student’s addiction problem is screened.
“With students that we do find out they’re having more issues, then we send them over to counseling, where we have people that specialize in substance abuse,” Austin said. Students can also be sent off campus to be looked at by a community intervention and treatment program.
The next step for students receiving treatment through N.C. State is to meet with the Counseling Center, led by Director, Monica Osburn. Unless a student poses a threat to themselves or others, the center is completely confidential.
“We have a pretty comprehensive support program, whether students are coming from a referral from Student Conduct or whether they’re coming on their own,” Osburn said. “We have several clinicians who have a lot of experience in substance use and abuse.”
After the initial assessment of the student’s addiction issue, the center then refers the student to an appropriate path to recovery.
“We’ll make a variety of recommendations, which can include groups on campus that we run in the counseling center related to substance abuse and treatment,” Osburn said. “It might be individual counseling. There are also AA meetings offered on campus, but sometimes we have to recommend off-campus resources as well.”
The counseling center places an emphasis on the needs of the student seeking help. “It’s the balance of prevention and intervention, but many times it’s really about making that connection with the student,” Osburn said.
“With addiction, there’s so much fear. There’s so much unknown for the students, and it’s a scary process. To not feel alone in that process is really one of the biggest ways to get students help,” Osburn said.
