Page 300 - Keys To Community College Success

get creative

FIND MORE FUN

Complete the following on paper or in digital format.
Sometimes, college students get involved in potentially unsafe activities because it seems like there isn’t anythin g else to do.
Use your creativity to find enjoyable, safe activities to choose from when you hang out with friends. Check your resources:
What possibilities can you find at your student union, student activities center, college or local arts organizations, athletic
organizations, various clubs, nature groups? Could you go hiking? Take a walk or bike ride? Paint pottery? Check out a
baseball game? Run a 5K? Try a new kind of cuisine? Volunteer at a children’s hospital ward? See a play? Read a book?
Watch a movie? List 10 specific activities available to you.

Facing Addiction

If you think you may be addicted, seek help through counseling and medical centers,
detoxification centers, and support groups. Because substances often cause physical
changes and psychological dependence, habits are tough to break and quitting may
involve a painful withdrawal. Asking for help isn’t a failure, but a risk calculated to
earn you the reward of reclaiming your life.
Even one “yes” answer on the self-test may indicate a need to evaluate alcohol
or drug use and monitor it more carefully. If you answered “yes” to three or more
questions, you may benefit from talking to a professional about your substance use
and the problems it may be causing.
Working through substance-abuse problems can lead to restored health and self-
respect. Helpful resources can help you generate options and develop practical plans
for recovery.
■ Counseling and medical care. You can find help from school-based, private, govern-
ment-sponsored, or workplace-sponsored resources. Ask your school’s counseling or
health center, your personal physician, or a local hospital for a referral.
■ Detoxification (“detox”) centers. If you have a severe addiction, you may need a
controlled environment where you can separate yourself completely from drugs
or alcohol, including the people and places associated with it.
■ Support groups. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has led to other support groups for
addicts such as Overeaters Anonymous (OA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA).
These groups are free, effective, anonymous, and meet in almost every city of the
United States, almost every day of the week.

HOW CAN YOU MAKE EFFECTIVE
decisions about sex?

You choose what sexuality means to you and the role it plays in your life, and how
you identify sexually is your personal business. However, the decisions you make go
beyond the personal realm. Because sexual conduct can result in an unexpected preg-
nancy or passing on sexually transmitted infections (STIs), consequences can extend
for years and can affect both the people involved in the act as well as their families.
Just as your success in school depends on your ability to manage time, your success
in school also depends on making choices that maintain health and safety—yours as

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