Clinic offers 'place to talk' about addiction
Published Sept. 12, 2006
The Student Health Center will now offer a new resource to students who seek to assess their use of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs.
The Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco Assessment and Assistance Walk-in Clinic opens today. The DATA Clinic will be available in the mental health area of University Hospital from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. every Tuesday.
DATA Clinic director Susan O'Neill said the clinic is a gateway for students.
"People might come in to assess whether or not alcohol or tobacco are a problem for them, or they might be coming in because they believe that these are already a problem," O'Neill said.
Students visiting the clinic for alcohol- or drug-related issues can meet with O'Neill, who is a clinical psychologist.
Students seeking assistance with tobacco issues can meet with Kim Webb or Terry Wilson, both of whom are health educators. The cost is covered by the $79 per-semester student health fee, which is paid each semester by full-time students.
The clinic is confidential and open to walk-ins.
"It isn't our assumption that people need to quit," O'Neill said. "We are providing a place for students to talk to someone about their use of alcohol, tobacco and drugs and to assess whether their use of the substances is a problem."
O'Neill said the DATA Clinic can help students access individual or group counseling, behavioral interventions and medication such as nicotine replacement.
Students might also be referred to community resources, O'Neill said. These include the Phoenix Program and the McCambridge Center, which offer more intensive addiction care than is available on campus.
Students also might be referred to Drinking Smart, which is a program to help students reduce the risk associated with consuming alcohol. The program brings together a group of students who are concerned about their drinking habits and who want to assess or curb their drinking.
The program will meet at 5 p.m. every Wednesday in the third-floor classroom below the Student Health Center.
"We help students take a look at their drinking, cut back, make realistic drinking goals and make a change in where they drink," O'Neill said.
She said the program will allow students to make whatever changes they personally deem necessary.
"The idea of the DATA clinic is to be a first step toward helping students get the help they need," O'Neill said. "Because when you think you might have a problem, it can be kind of scary."