

Marist Counseling offers an “overabundance of information that we get desensitized to.” In psychology, desensitization is a process that diminishes emotional responsiveness to a negative or positive stimulus after repeated exposure to it. To combat the normalization of substance abuse in the college setting, Moore brings up the relevance of desensitization. “An idealistic vision of college is oversold,” leading students to chase the party scene and sacrifice their own wellbeing. She also explained the psychological term of confirmation bias: the tendency to process information by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with one's existing beliefs. “It is because see around them, that it is normalized,” Dr. Marisa Moore, the Head of Counseling Services, described the normalization of substance abuse to be a result of social pressure and imitating one another. “We have an amazing counseling department and it is underused,” Sophie Park ’25 said.ĭr. Marist College provides mental health resources that are often overlooked. Matt McMahon, the Assistant Dean of Students, says that “a quarter of all students report academic misconduct as a consequence of substance abuse.” The normalization of alcohol and drugs takes a toll on a student's well being and conduct. While the research collected shows that 27.4% of participants felt the need to reduce their drug and alcohol intake, only 2.3% received treatment for alcohol and drug abuse. The collected data shows that 36.9% of college participants binge-drink, and 26.0% use marijuana. During 20, nearly 185,440 students and 153 institutions across the United States responded to related questionnaires about mental health topics. Their findings about students and binge-drinking, marijuana use, and treatment for substance abuse raise red flags about the normalization of drugs in college. The Center for Collegiate Mental Health examines trends among college students seeking mental health services. The national epidemic of substance abuse commonly starts on college campuses, and is no stranger to Marist College. Substance abuse is a silent killer, and students and faculty advocate for a change in the harmful status quo.

#Circle of life counseling how to#
They do not offer information on it’s warning signs, prevention outlets or advice on how to prioritize one’s well being. At college orientation, they do not mention the prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse as a customary student experience.
