Posted on Oct. 9: Program educates students on recreational drug use

'The Time of Your Life, A Natural High', a new program that provides information and alternate choices regarding individual decisions on recreational drug use will launch Oct. 14.

The program is a collaborative effort between three McMaster departments: Campus Health Centre, Centre for Student Development and McMaster Security Services. Each of these departments are directly involved with the consequences of drug use from the perspective of health impacts, support or treatment for potentially harmful behaviours and the legal aspects.

Drugs are becoming more of a concern at University's with increased activity on campus during the past two years.

The main message of this program reinforces individual choice and responsibility as part of the growing independence, maturity and the freedom to choose individual actions associated with young adults. Students make use of legal and illegal substances for a variety of personal reasons. The core reasons include relaxation/stress relief, a coping mechanism, social acceptance/peer influence, as well as thrill seeking.

The program consists of four main components. Bookmarks and a series of three posters will be distributed on campus and into residences highlighting some of the issues around recreational drug use. The viewer will be directed to www.mcmaster.ca/drugs, for more information and support resources available. The Web content uses a non-judgmental, harm reduction approach recognizing that students need to know how to decrease as well as eliminate risks associated with recreational drug use altogether. The third component looks at safety issues and how the Student Code of Conduct applies on this campus. The fourth component provides information on alternate stress reduction/coping techniques, as well as providing an opportunity to join a weekly discussion group over a three- to four-week period. A relaxation CD is also in the planning stages to be released at the start of second semester.

As an added incentive to visit the Web site, there will be monthly prizes. Sponsorship has been provided by Athletics and Recreation and Titles Bookstore by providing such prizes as a winter Pulse membership, a trip to the Vanier Cup in Toronto and Titles' gift certificates. Other sponsorship prizes are still being negotiated.

This drug education program is funded by Student Affairs with funds collected through McMaster University Student Code of Conduct infractions.