Students struggling with drugs and alcohol don't have to leave campus to get help, said Jill Yeagley, program manager of the Center of Substance Abuse Prevention.
COSAP, established in 1992, is responsible for leading and coordinating drug- and alcohol-prevention efforts on campus, such as working with the campus prevention council and alerting students about DWI checkpoints, Yeagley said.
"One of our key successes is that we have been effective with working with students on reducing drinking and driving," she said. "We do see more and more students having a designated driver or taking the Downtown shuttle - things like that. It's becoming a norm now for students, which we're really glad to see."
According to UNM Police, there were about 75 alcohol or drug-related incidents reported on campus last semester.
John Steiner, a health educator at COSAP, said most students want to be treated like adults.
"I don't think students want to be lectured or scolded about their drinking," he said. "We just try to encourage them to be careful about their choices."
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Yeagley said COSAP does not provide counseling.
"Our job here really is prevention - to try to help people avoid developing problems and help people avoid the consequences of drinking too much and getting high and so on," she said. "If somebody came here and had a problem, we would talk with them and get them connected with a counseling program or a 12-step group."
Yeagley said COSAP refers students to counseling.
Counseling and Therapy Services is in the Student Health Center and offers low-cost counseling to students, said Harry Linneman, director of CATS.
"If students have never been here before, then the first two visits are free," he said. "From there, the next four are $10," he said.
CATS offers counseling on drug and alcohol issues as well as emotional and mental health, Linneman said.
"Everything that goes on here is completely confidential and protected by the law," he said.
Yeagley said students who aren't sure whether they have an alcohol or drug problem can take a confidential survey on the COSAP Web site, Unm.edu/~cosap.
"We offer the ECHUG as well as the Behavioral Self Control Program that they can take that will give them some feedback about whether there is a problem and what risks they are facing," she said.
Yeagley said COSAP trains peer educators at the Student Health Center as well as the resident assistants in the dorms.
"There are a number of resources that students can utilize when seeking help," she said.
Steiner said COSAP reaches out to students by sponsoring health fairs.
"We try to look for as many opportunities to meet and greet students as we possibly can," he said. "Hopefully, the students are seeing the products on campus that we're putting out there."
Student Justin Huffmon said he notices the prevention messages around campus.
"I think they're doing a good job in getting their messages to the student body," he said.
Huffmon said the e-mails about DWI checkpoints are helpful to him and his friends when planning their nights out.
