Many UNM community members received a crash course on drug and alcohol abuse and drunk driving Wednesday from the Student Health Center as part of the third annual Red Ribbon Day.
During the last week of October, red ribbons are distributed nationwide by various organizations to inform the population about drug and alcohol abuse.
The Student Health Center and Peer Educators co-sponsored UNM Red Ribbon Day.
"The focus of this year 's Red Ribbon Day at UNM is to promote awareness of the abuse of alcohol and drunk driving," said Amanda Reichert, coordinator of this year's event. "Students can learn about the effects it can have on your body, both in the short term and long term, and how it can affect relationships and your life in general. They also can learn about how drinking and driving can affect you and the community around you."
Red Ribbon Day was started by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the National Federation of Parents for Drug Free Youth in 1985 to provide information about substance abuse.
The campaign was in response to the DEA Agent Enrique Camarena' s murder while in Guadalajara, Mexico investigating a large drug trafficking empire.
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Reichert said the event was significant because the information is presented in a way that students can identify with.
"It is important to have this day because it allows us to get our message out to the student population and bring about more awareness to the issues at hand," Reichert said. "It allows them to learn about (substance abuse) in fun and engaging activities."
Also participating in the event were the Campus Office of Substance Abuse Prevention, the Student Health Center, Agora and the Student Health Advisory Committee.
COSAP offered students who participated in a designated driving program an opportunity to win a trip. The Student Health Advisory Committee surveyed students in the interest of the Student Health Center.
John Steiner, COSAP project coordinator, said the designated driver contest was designed to inform students about the advantages of being a designated driver.
"We want them to at least walk away understanding what being a designated driver is all about," Steiner said. "And we give these opportunities to reinforce the need for students to go out and be a designated driver when they go out and socialize."
Overall, Steiner said he hoped students left Red Ribbon Day more knowledgeable about drug and alcohol abuse.
"There's a lot of misinformation or lack of information," Steiner said. "I think students, well, when we are young, we have this tendency to think we are indestructible. We don't want to use scare tactics, but we want them to know that when they push the limits with alcohol, there are consequences."
