These are challenging times and for people in recovery or those who are struggling with substance use disorders or caring for those with a substance use disorder, it can feel overwhelming. Recovery is difficult but feeling isolated and not being able to go to meetings, connect with a support team, or keep your previous schedule can feel scary and triggering.
We are in unprecedented times and the risk of an overdose or use event is real and may be a daily fight for some. While so many are focused on their physical well-being, the mental and emotional struggles may be too much for some that rely on the comforting daily/weekly schedule of AA/NA meetings or connections with peer support and sponsors.
If you are feeling isolated or need help finding resources to support someone, here are some ways to get help during these isolating times. This is not a complete list so feel free to reach out to our office if you have questions, need specific resources, or need help getting connected to treatment programs.
Counseling Services is available by phone for consultation and remote support.
Alcohol poisoning - a severe and potentially fatal physical reaction to an alcohol overdose - is the most serious consequence of binge drinking. When excessive amounts of alcohol are consumed, the brain is deprived of oxygen. The struggle to deal with an overdose of alcohol and lack of oxygen will eventually cause the brain to shut down the voluntary functions that regulate breathing and heart rate.
If a person is known to have consumed large quantities of alcohol in a short period of time, symptoms of alcohol poisoning include:
In schools with high binge drinking rates:
(7) Wechsler, Henry, Dowdall, George, Maenner, Gretchen, Gledhill-Hoyt, Jeana, and Hang Lee, Changes in binge drinking and related problems among American college students between 1993 and 1997: Results of the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study, Journal of American College Health, Volume 47, 1998.
(8) Erenberg, Debra, Hacker, George, Problem? What Problem? Some basic facts about the drinking culture, in Last Call for High-Risk Bar Promotions That Target College Students: A Community Action Guide, 1997.
(9) Lyall, Katherine, Binge Drinking in College: A Definitive Study in Binge Drinking on American College Campuses: A New Look at an Old Problem, August.
(10) Ibid.
(11) National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, College Students and Drinking, Alcohol Alert No. 29, Bethesda, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1995.
(12) American Academy of Pediatrics, Binge Drinking, Washington, D.C.:1999.
(19) Ibid.
SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), a public health agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States. Further information about SAMHSA is available on the Internet at www.samhsa.gov.
If you are concerned about a student who is under the influence of alcohol or others drugs (prescribed or not) and may be in need of IMMEDIATE medical attention, one or more of the following numbers should be contacted before or instead of Counseling Services:
Critical Signs and Symptoms:
What Should I do to help?
Medical Amnesty: grants immunity from prosecution for certain alcohol related offenses when an individual requests emergency medical assistance for him/her self or someone else due to alcohol over consumption.
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Northern Kentucky University
University Center 440
Highland Heights, KY 41099
Local: +1 (859) 572-5650
Email: hcsw@nku.edu
