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Alcohol & Other Drug Problems and Resources for Support

Identifying an alcohol or other drug problem

How would you know if your use of alcohol or other drugs—or someone else's— was a problem? Too often students who experience harm from their use of substances, typically alcohol, don’t think it is a big deal as long as their grades are not impacted. In fact, many students don’t consider things like vomiting, blacking out, or accidentally "hooking up" a couple of times a semester to be a problem because they believe that so many other students do exactly the same thing. However, if you were out of college and saw somebody drinking with just those same consequences, you would probably identify that as a problem.

Check out this continuum and consider where you would place yourself (or a friend).

Abstinence Complete non-use of a substance
Non-Problem Use Using in moderation; appropriate behavior; no harm from use such as blackouts, fights, accidents, getting into trouble
Incident An isolated event; a single episode of experiencing a problem/ harm
Problem Use A pattern of use with negative consequences and multiple incidents; using despite knowledge that use causes or contributes to problems; use in situations that are physically dangerous; moderation possible
Dependency Some indicators of need for further exploration include:
• tolerance
• periodic loss of control in terms of how much you use and/or behavior
• substance use despite knowledge that use causes or contributes to problems
• substance use criticized by family or friends
• moderation difficult or impossible

 

A person's use of alcohol and other drugs can change over the course of a lifetime. You may even notice changes in your use over just a semester. Keep in mind that dependency is a complex diagnosis— no single behavior means that a person is dependent.

Still have questions? Consider taking our on-line alcohol assessment.

Resources for support

If you are concerned about your alcohol or other drug use or that of someone you care about, consider talking with someone you trust— family member, friend, or professor. Also, you may want to look into the range of services available at Gannett and in the Ithaca area, and learn more about treatment.

Understanding the role of family history

When thinking about your own use of alcohol or other drugs, you may also want to keep in mind experiences other members of your family have had with these substances. Although genetics are not destiny, substance use problems tend to run in families, particularly for sons of alcoholic fathers. Also, remember that even if no one in your family has had an alcohol or other drug problem, that does not mean you are immune from experiencing one.