Spring Break is coming!

Spring Break is traditionally a time for college students to step away from their classes and kick back. Students across the country take advantage of this time off to go to the beach, take a cruise, ski, or escape to some other fun-filled action.

Others remain at home to work, catch up on their studies, and spend time with friends and family.

Either way, alcohol and drug use may play a part in these activities. And sometimes, the results can be deadly.

If you’re in a situation where binge drinking or drug use is going on it’s important to understand the risks of overdose, and to know how to react when someone has experienced an overdose. In either case �" alcohol or opioid overdose �" time is critical. The person needs immediate medical attention to prevent death.

Please join the Wellness Center and ADAC (Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council) for a free workshop on “How to Handle an Overdose” on Thursday, March 14 from 2:30 to 4 pm in the Gilman Center. You will learn the signs and symptoms of an overdose, how to administer Narcan (Naloxone), the drug that can reverse an opioid overdose, and bystander CPR (not BLS). You will receive your own Narcan kit to take with you, and fentanyl test strips, which can help detect if a substance has been tainted with this deadly drug.

Snacks will be provided.

Reserve your seat here. https://machform.sunyorange.edu/view.php?id=862336

Alcohol and drug overdoses account for thousands of deaths each year in the 18-24 age-range:

• Fentanyl was involved in the vast majority of teen overdose deaths in 2021, a 27% increase from 2016.
• Nearly a quarter of those deaths involved counterfeit pills that weren't prescribed by a doctor.
• Students may think they're taking pills like oxycodone, Xanax or Vicodin, but sometimes those pills contain fentanyl, resulting in overdose.
• Fentanyl is the No. 1 killer nationally of people ages 18-45. Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl can kill you.
• Nationally, 2,467 people died from alcohol poisoning on average each year during 2017 to 2020.
• One of the greatest risk factors for alcohol poisoning is binge drinking, defined as consuming four or more drinks for females, or five or more drinks for males, on one occasion.
• College students binge drink at higher rates than young people the same age who don't attend college. 

For confidential free help from public health agencies to find substance use treatment and information call the SAMHSA National Helpline 1-800-662-4357.