University Health Services is now offering two new programs to give students an on-campus option for support when dealing with problematic alcohol or drug use, as well as smoking.
Jeanne Haley, a clinical social worker who has worked at Health Services for over a year, added two new programs to the Tufts Alcohol and Drug Program this semester: a counseling program for students who want to stop smoking, and a weekly peer support group, "Sober at Tufts," for students who have given up on drinking or drugs, or are trying to do so.
"What I've learned is that it is not necessarily very easy to be sober, because so much of the social scene revolves around drugs and alcohol," Haley said.
The Sober at Tufts program, Haley said is a drop-in program that is confidential and involves no commitment. "It's really just about how to fit into the social scene without using alcohol," she said.
Haley said that although there is a sizable amount of students do not use alcohol or drugs at social events, she said there are students who do not realize that not drinking "can feel really isolating."
Some students who Haley hopes to reach out to seemed to agree that drinking is endemic in the Tufts social scene.
"[Problem drinking is] not about peer pressure... it's about the culture at Tufts," said a student who admitted to drinking heavily and who wished to remain anonymous. "There's nothing else to do. Students wonder what to do instead, where to hang out and who with."
Haley said that Sober at Tufts is designed to help students with this dilemma.
Director of the Community Health Program Edith Balbach said that on-campus counseling programs are important as they are tailored to the Tufts environment.
"I think the benefit of on-campus programs is that the most effective programming we do is responsive to the community," she said. "If you're going to have a successful program, it has to reflect the reality of the Tufts student experience."
The changes to the smoking cessation program reflect new attitudes toward the benefits of quitting while seeking counseling.
Previously, students who came to Health Services hoping to quit smoking would receive advice about taking an aid, like a patch, or possibly a prescription for anti-smoking pills like Zyban.
New research and guidelines, however, from such groups as the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Preventive Medicine recommend that cessation aids be combined with counseling. Research has shown success rates for quitting is higher in such programs.
In order to gain the expertise necessary for implementing a program that combines counseling and cessation aids, Haley enrolled in a University of Massachusetts Medical School course on tobacco cessation over winter break.
Several Tufts students have already come to Haley to begin working with her to quit smoking, and the Sober at Tufts group has already met for a lunch provided by Health Services. Some students are trying to deal with their own problems with alcohol or smoking while others are worried about friends or family members.
As the drug and alcohol counselor for the entire campus, Haley said she sees a number of students who visit her after running into serious alcohol-related trouble with the University.
But Haley said she also sees students who come in voluntarily, worried about themselves or individuals close to them, and she's hoping that now, with the introduction of this new program, she will see a lot more students coming in on their own.
