And I hope when I get old I don’t sit around thinking about it
But I probably will
Yeah, just trying to recapture
A little of the glory, of well time slips away
And leaves you with nothing mister but
Boring stories of glory days…
Glory days, well they’ll pass you by
Glory days in the wink of a young girl’s eye
- "Glory Days," by Bruce Springsteen
Prevention is like rock and roll—bold, progressive, disruptive to the status quo, and built note by note by dedicated artists striving to leave a mark on the world. Like good music, comprehensive, coordinated approaches that combine individual...
The negative impact of excessive drinking and substance use on one’s physical health is well documented. What is often overlooked is the ways in which substance use can interfere with academic engagement, which sometimes can be subtler, but also very serious.
There are two main pathways linking substance use to academic problems. First, excessive drinking, marijuana use, and other forms of drug use can have a direct effect on learning, memory, and attention—all of which are important for academic success.
Amelia M. Arria, Ph.D.
Second, drugs are powerful reinforcers, and can “hijack”...
Over the past seventeen years, I have had the honor of serving as the project director of Missouri Partners in Prevention, my state’s higher education prevention coalition. Over the years of monthly meetings, conferences, technical assistance phone calls, and e-mails, I have gotten to know each of our 21 campuses well and our coalition contact at each campus even better. Recently, upon the retirement of one of our longest-standing coalition members, she shared a heartfelt poem with the group and left a lasting impression. Her words were simple and profound and they spoke to the heart of why...
The first education program I offered that dealt with drugs and alcohol was titled “All About Getting a Good Healthy Buzz, and Other Ways of Getting High.” In addition, my first book, co-authored with a colleague, was "That Happy Feeling." Those were in 1975 and 1979, respectively. Now, four decades later, the titles remain relevant, perhaps more so than ever. Why? First, they resonate with many of the foundations of drug and alcohol use and misuse. They acknowledge some of what individuals seek when they use drugs or consume alcohol. Second, while our campus efforts to address drug and...
For most students, a common misperception is that the college experience includes frequent alcohol parties, most college students use marijuana and other illegal drugs, and many use prescription drugs recreationally. For young people in recovery from addiction to alcohol or other drugs, these perceptions about college life can act as a barrier to completing their college education. A young person in recovery may opt to stay out of school or avoid engaging in college life while they focus on their recovery rather than place themselves in what they perceive will be a high-risk environment...