It's important to keep a balance between the social side of college and the academic side - sometimes alcohol and weed can shift that balance. This week, we discuss strategies to limit these risks, and tips on setting boundaries with yourself and others.
It's important to keep a balance between the social side of college and the academic side - sometimes alcohol and weed can shift that balance. This week, we discuss strategies to limit these risks, and tips on setting boundaries with yourself and others.
Marissa: Welcome to the Last Call Podcast. My name is Marissa Whitaker, and I'm the Prevention Educator at SUNY Cortland.
Sarah: And my name is Sarah McGowan. I'm the assistant Director of Student Health and Wellness at Onondaga Community College. Our jobs are to educate students about potential risks associated with substance use.
Marissa: We are substance use from a neutral stance, and our episodes are rooted in public health with a focus on science and harm reduction.
Sarah: Welcome back to the Last Call Podcast. So this is going to be our first episode for the semester. Today we're going to be talking about some easy harm reduction strategies because Maris, unfortunately, the first couple weeks of school are the times when students may find themselves in a little bit of hot water if they're trying new things or not used to some of the situations that they may find themselves in as new college students.
Marissa: Yeah, especially for maybe some of our first year students where you don't have parents or family members watching over you, you're kind of on your own for the first time in a while. So sometimes when we're on our own, we don't have that oversight. And here are a few tips just to reduce some risks of having a bad time or maybe some negative consequences if you're going to decide to drink or use cannabis.
Sarah: And as always, remember that it's okay if you decide that you don't want to drink or consume cannabis. That is always an option.
Marissa: But if you do decide that you want to drink or use cannabis, here are a few tips. So first we're going to talk about some tips with alcohol use. So if you decide to drink, make sure you have something to eat before you start drinking. This isn't like a side salad that you got at Newburg or the cafeteria at school. You're going to want something high in protein salad's, not going to cut it. You're also going to want to think about your mood before you start drinking or using any substances. If you're hungry, angry, lonely, or tired, alcohol and other substance use can impact you differently than in times that you might feel great.
Sarah: So the next thing, Marissa, is making sure that you stay hydrated. So when you're drinking, this is so important. So you can always alternate water with any beverages containing alcohol. So water can help reduce hangovers. Also, liquid IV or anything with electrolytes can be helpful. It's not a miracle cure if you're consuming a lot of alcohol. It's not going to undo all the damage of the night, but it could be a little helpful in reducing the hangover that you might have if you do consume some electrolytes while you're drinking. Before you're drinking and after, even letting.
Marissa: The ice melt into your drink at the bar is something that you can do to have some water. That should not be the only way that you're getting water that night. I also don't think there's probably ice at an unrecognized frat party, but if you're at the bar, speaking of being out places, you're going to want to come up with a plan to get home before you start drinking. So having a backup plan is also pretty critical in these cases, especially if the first plan falls through. If you're going to be the designated driver, be the designated driver. But there have been instances where someone said that they will, and then one thing leads to another, and now you don't have a ride home. So you might want to think of a couple of different ways to get back to where you're going, whether that's calling an Uber, walking home, having a friend, having a designated driver is definitely safer and also cheaper than having a DWI.
Sarah: Absolutely. So speaking of friends, Mariss, if you're with your friends, make sure that you're leaving with your friends as well. So you come to a party with your friends, make sure you're keeping an eye on each other. You know where everyone is, and then you're leaving with them. So don't leave anyone behind, especially if they're intoxicated. And then if you see someone that needs help, help them. So wouldn't you want someone to help you if you were in a compromising or extremely intoxicated state and you kind of didn't know what was going on? So step up, be that person, and don't be afraid to help someone else who needs help.
Marissa: Yes, it costs nothing to do the right thing. So switching gears to covering some risk reduction tips for cannabis use, you're going to want to start low and see how you do, especially if you're going to consume edibles. And if you are using edibles, make sure you look to see what the dosing is, especially if this product came from a dispensary. Again, a whole candy bar is not a dose when we're eating edibles. We're going to cover this more in an upcoming episode this semester, but just as a teaser right now and basic knowledge, give it time to kick in.
Sarah: Going along with that. So you always want to try and use the smallest amount that you need to feel the effects that you're looking for. So it's not only better for your lungs, but it's better for your wallet. So if you think about a blunt, a lot of the time you end up burning through a lot of the product and you don't necessarily get the most bang for your buck. So kind of keep that in mind. But you always want to like you mentioned, Maris, use the smallest amount that you think you need. You can always add more, but you can't take away kind of once you've gotten to that point.
Marissa: Yeah, and especially with blunts, too. You bring up that efficiency piece, Sarah, but also when someone's smoking a blunt, you're getting nicotine, too, nicotine and tobacco with that wrapper. So for people that might be the cannabis purists that want that flavor, that want the taste, that really pay attention to all of the different things. Cannabis, when you're putting it in a blunt wrapper and then you're adding nicotine to it, too. So those feelings of anxiety that your heart is racing after you smoke a blunt because you have a nicotine high as well.
Sarah: And you also don't need to be a hero by trying to take the biggest hit out of all of your friends or puffing on your friends. 99% concentrate Vape to see how you feel. So especially if it's a new product to you, now is not really a good time to experiment the first couple of weeks of school just because I think there's added pressures. People are trying their best to fit in. You don't have to be a hero.
Marissa: I'm glad that you brought up the whole vaping piece to a lot of this. I've been talking to a lot of students about vaping and the serving size for when somebody's vaping. And if you're getting it again from a dispensary or on most products, it does say what that serving is. How many people are hitting that pen going, one, two, three, that's my serving? No, they're like cheefing on that thing till there's tears coming down their face. So if you are using a vaping device to get your cannabis, think twice about it, but also be mindful of what a serving is on that you're not going to do a blinker until the thing shuts off.
Sarah: Everyone's lung capacity is also different, so your friend might feel great with one hit and you might not feel those same effects. So you don't have to mimic what everyone else is doing. Just do what's best for you in that moment.
Marissa: And then we probably should have led with this for cannabis. But even though weed is legal in New York State, you still have to be 21 to use it, and you still can't use it on campus or any campus affiliated location. And this is for all SUNY schools, so don't think you're going to go visit your friend at another campus and that it'll be legal there.
Sarah: Well, Marissa, if we're talking about harm reduction in the first couple of weeks, it's also important to keep in mind any campus policies that your college has with drinking or substance use. So there isn't get out of jail free card the first three weeks just because you're a new student. So unfortunately, those first three weeks are the time when a lot of people get in trouble because they don't know the rules. They're not used to having to comply with regulations or being under someone else's roof with all these rules. And that's when you can find yourself in a bad situation, in trouble with campus safety, and you want to try your best to avoid that, if possible.
Marissa: Yeah, and so a lot of harm reduction is about reducing the harms to your body, the harms to your well being. But it's also harmful to have legal troubles hanging over your head, whether that's legal from the police getting arrested, getting a ticket, whether that's going through the conduct system. So, yeah, a lot of students, I think, come to college thinking like, oh, it's a party school, we can do that here. But there's also campus standards, there's rules, there's laws that you have to follow.
Sarah: Yeah.
Marissa: And you have to be held to a standard. So those are also here on campus.
Sarah: Keeping risk reduction in mind, you want to make sure that you're not combining alcohol with other drugs. So what I always like to say, and I know you like to say this, too, Morass, is pick alcohol or weed and stick with one or the other. You never want to mix both. And then it's also important to think about any medication that you're taking that might impact either one of those substances. So if you're taking something every day like your allergy medicine, you might not think about how that's going to impact or how that's going to interact with alcohol. But if you're consuming a decent amount of alcohol, even an allergy medicine could produce some consequences that you're not expecting or that you're not used to. So it's easy to forget about something that you take every day. I think that's important to kind of think about.
Marissa: Yeah. Antidepressant. Antianxiety medication, too. I mean, always look at the label. It doesn't say on any pill bottle, drink with a white claw because it'll work more effectively. That's just not how medicine works. So, yes, also, speaking of things that we should not be combining, definitely don't want to combine alcohol and cocaine or just, like, use cocaine at all, but for people who may be using cocaine, I do have Fentanyl test strips in my office this year, so I just want to plug that for students who may need it. If you want Fentanyl test strips for stimulants, for any substances that someone may be doing, those are accessible for students, I work in Van Hosen Hall, room B one. It's at the opposite end of the hallway is Health Services. You can come in and pick some up, no questions asked. I don't need to know who you are, I don't need to know what classes you're taking. We just want to reduce any negative outcomes that students may experience from any sort of substance use. And I know Fentanyl test strips are a bit of a hot button, controversial issue, but from that harm reduction lens, we just want to keep people alive. So if you need access to them, I have them available for students.
Sarah: So going along with that, Marissa, it's always important to understand that sometimes, regardless of how safe you're being or how careful you're being, sometimes alcohol or drug use can cause life threatening situations. So it's always important to feel comfortable enough to call for help in those situations because you can't help in every situation. So you should always be prepared to call emergency services. We want to make sure that anyone who's in a bad situation gets help. So both of our campuses have Good Samaritan policies where if you're calling for help for yourself or someone else, you won't get in trouble and the person that you're calling for won't get in trouble. So it's a New York state law. We don't just pick and choose who we get in trouble and who we don't. Marissa, can you walk us through a little bit of what to look for with alcohol poisoning?
Marissa: So whether this is alcohol or also largely other substance use related, you're going to want to think of the acronym Pubs. So what this stands for the P is someone who's puking while they're passed out. So uncontrollable vomiting. The U is someone who is unresponsive to pinching or shaking. They're not waking up if you're trying to wake them up. B is breathing. If their breath is slow, shallow or nonexistent, you're going to want to get them help. And S is the color of their skin if it's cold, blue or clammy. Something to consider with all of this, you're not going to want to make sure someone meets all of the criteria before you get help. So if someone is not waking up, when you're trying to wake them up, don't wait to see what their skin feels like. Get them help no matter what. And you can call your RA, your hall director, 911, an emergency, poison control even.
Sarah: Yeah, there's a lot of people that you can call for help. 911 always, if you're in a panic situation, usually the quickest way to get that person help. So going along with that, marissa so the first couple of weeks as a new college student, or even as a returning college student, you may be put into situations that you're not used to or that you may not feel comfortable with. So I think going back to boundary setting, so keeping in mind that you can set your own boundaries and limits and guidelines so that you feel safe and that the people around you feel safe. So you can set boundaries with others, others can set boundaries with you, it's important to kind of think through that. And can you tell us, Mariss, what's the best way to set some boundaries with yourself?
Marissa: Yeah, so starting off, we got to set a boundary with ourselves. Knowing our limits, it's difficult to set a boundary with somebody else if we're not sure where we stand on some matters. So are you drinking tonight or are you just going out and socializing? If you are drinking, what's your cut off amount? Are you going to have just two drinks or are you really going ham tonight? We're suggesting maybe closer to the two. Do I want to sleep with this person or do I just want to make out with this person? Do I even want this person around? Also, too, be mindful of your feelings in these situations. Do you feel comfortable at this party? Does it feel right? Please don't ever underestimate your gut feeling when your body or your mind is trying to tell you that something's up or that something's off. It never hurts to be overly cautious in these situations, because sometimes we're talking about your life here. Once you set them with yourself, you can start to set them with other people. How wouldn't you go about that?
Sarah: Sarah, it's important to know that you always deserve to feel safe in your environment. And if you're in a situation that doesn't feel safe or doesn't feel right, you have the right to walk away, and you should not feel guilty about anything. So your safety is always the most important thing. And then also being direct and assertive. So if you feel like one of the boundaries that you've set for yourself is being crossed, don't be afraid to just walk away, to say no, to be direct that you don't feel comfortable in the situation, and there's nothing to apologize for about that.
Marissa: Sometimes we feel like we have to set boundaries multiple times. If that's the case, you might want to think about how important is this friendship? Is this relationship? Because someone who truly values you should respect the boundaries that you're setting. So if you're finding that people are repeatedly crossing your boundaries, you might want to reevaluate those relationships that you have. Yeah.
Sarah: And I think, Marissa, especially in the first couple of weeks, you might be more likely to surround yourself with newer people, people that you don't know very well. So it's also important to keep that in mind, too. Not everyone has your best interests in mind, so the person that you need to look out for is you. And you come first before anyone else.
Marissa: Thank you for joining us for our first episode of the semester. We hope you were able to pick up a few new tips, or if you know all of this stuff, keep continuing what you're doing so you're doing the right thing. Take care. Bye.