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TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019 •
Addiction on campus: Resources out of sight, out of mind
KYRA KARAKATSANIS GAZETTE
“I tried my first drug and literally could not get enough. They quickly took over my life, and I became disconnected from almost everyone…. I was constantly thinking about how I could get more,” says Savannah Schnurr. Addiction, the state of being physically and mentally dependent on a substance: it’s not often associated with university students, but perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate. Schnurr, a second-year business student at Wilfred Laurier University, knows this can affect anyone. Western University professor of psychology Riley Hinson believes that the prevalence and extent of addiction on campus communities is far greater than what one might think. While Western has well-known general psychological resources and support groups, resources specifically targeting addiction, recovery or substance abuse are under-discussed. In response to this, Hinson challenged the students of his Addiction: Theories and Research course to create a community engagement event providing support for students who may be struggling. On March 26, a group of students from the course hosted the interactive event, Recovery
Addiction Awareness Day. The event, which was the first of its kind, featured guest speakers, live musicians and booths with various resources from the London community. The speakers shared personal stories of addiction and the booths aimed to educate students on recovery outlets available to them. The event founders, Rebecca Hocke and Taylor Pratt, have seen first-hand the effects of alcohol, drug abuse and the current opioid crisis in London, and they were surprised that no addiction awareness event had previously been held at an Ontario university. The prevalence of addiction combined with the lack of university resources and awareness pushed Hocke and Pratt to close this gap by engaging their peers and raising awareness through RAAD. With the help of executives of the Western University Technology Review — Ally Johnston, Brian Bursic and Mateo Molinaro — the organizing team was able to create an event that fulfilled this goal. FAVOR Canada, The Salvation Army Centre of Hope and Withdrawal Management Centre, Celebrate Recovery, Addiction Service of Thames Valley, Middlesex London Health Unit, and Western’s Wellness Education Centre all partnered with the event, setting up booths for students to see how various organizations around London were involved. The entire event was eye-opening as an uncommon community of resources were displayed in the UCC to kick off the process of
COURTESY OF RILEY HINSON The RAAD organizers stand together after a successful event, March 26, 2019.
“Anytime I had a substance was the only time I felt OK in my skin,”
• MACALL
de-stigmatizing student addiction. The most impactful part of the event was undoubtedly the hour-long panel featuring an honest and candid report between students and two people in recovery from addiction, Katelyn and Macall*. A group of about 20 students gathered to listen to Katelyn and Macall reflect on their time struggling with addiction while at Western. Macall identified the root cause of her addiction as being the pressure to be perfect. She also mentioned that she felt she didn’t fit in. “Anytime I had a substance was the only time I felt OK in my skin,” Macall recalls. Katelyn connected with Macall on struggling with perfectionism and described the overarching theme of her addiction was fueled by substances being used as her crutch. “I was not able to cope in school, and drugs were my solution,” she says. Katelyn continued to describe her time battling addiction while at Western, and her statements are, ironically, sobering. “I used substances to cope as a student, and that translated into using a different substance to achieve whatever it was I needed in the moment: Adderall to study, alcohol to party, weed to sleep,” says Katelyn.
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