A recent survey revealed that substance abuse in Norman is worse than in most Oklahoma cities, causing alarm among some citizens.
A panel of city leaders met Thursday evening to discuss the major problems substance abuse can cause if left unaddressed.
The Norman community has partnered with OU in the past to spread the word about substance abuse, said Scott Miller, assistant director of Counseling and Testing Services at OU.
“OU has many programs in place to provide education, counseling and support to our students,” he said.
Miller was one of several leaders to attend the event, entitled “The Extent of the Substance Abuse Problem for Schools, Families and Communities,” at the Norman Public Schools Curriculum Center.
Providing students and parents with a strong support system is the main goal, Miller said.
Human resources senior Rachel Cox and Human Resources graduate student Natalie Schmidt said they attended the meeting for a class, but they already understood substance abuse is an issue.
Informing the community about the problems of substance abuse is very important, Cox said.
The issue is of such importance, the sponsoring organization, Parents Helping Parents, will hold five remaining meetings to discuss abuse in Norman. Parents Helping Parents is a group of local residents who wish to provide support and spread awareness about substance abuse, Miller said.
Several families deal with this issue every day, and the idea behind these meetings is to remind Norman’s most influential voices how big of a problem this is, said Jennifer Newell, public information officer for the Norman Police Department.
“This is a problem and we cannot ignore it,” she said.
Newell also said she wants to gain the attention of the public. Many families have loved ones battling this problem, and they may have no one to turn to for help, she said.
OU students can be affected by this as well.
A shocking number of students lead sheltered lives, but begin to make poor choices once they get to college, Newell said.
Substance abuse and binge drinking are two common problems for students, she said.
At their young age, students tend to not know their limits and overindulge, Newell said.
“Just a few years ago we had a fraternity pledge member die because of binge drinking,” Newell said. “This indicates we have a problem.”
In the past three weeks, the Norman Police Department has given out 35 alcohol citations, said Newell. Many of those were given out on OU game days close to Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
Norman police arrested seven of those 35, and also cited two people for Driving Under the Influence, Newell said.
“And those are just the ones we caught,” she said.
In a survey conducted last year, the numbers were outrageous, said Jed Dembowski, United Way of Norman Vice President of Marketing and Communications.
Dembowski, who is also a journalism and mass communications professor at OU, said students in Norman report drinking heavier than the state average. This can lead to destructive behavior as well.
“Drugs and alcohol are a gateway to other activities,” Dembowski said.
80 percent of OU students said they drink, and about 45 percent said they partake in binge drinking, Miller said. Another 10 percent said they smoke marijuana, and about 6 percent use heavy drugs such as cocaine.
“This is a long-term issue that we need to keep a long-term focus on,” Miller said.
OU is trying to reduce these numbers by tightening up the alcohol policy as well, Miller said.
Stricter policies and specific consequences will be enforced from now on, he said.
Miller said his main concern is for students who participate in “pre loading,” or drinking heavily before attending a university event at which they cannot drink.
OU officials focus on freshmen because they tend to drink more heavily than older students, Miller said.
All freshmen are required to attend an alcohol education course, and close to 4,000 students take the course in the first six weeks of class, Miller said.
Joan Cole, a member of Parents Helping Parents, said she thinks the university should create an educational program about the dangers of all substances, whether they are illegal or prescription.
Prescription drugs are becoming a major problem, especially on college campuses, Cole said.
Several students think they cannot be abused, which is completely false, she said.
The next panel, titled Risk Factors and Tipping the Odds, will be held at 7 p.m. on Oct. 9 at the Norman Schools Curriculum Center.
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taylor1940 3 years, 6 months ago
Acute drug use causes the release and prolonged action of dopamine and serotonin within the reward circuit.
Taylor http://www.addictionlink.org